About the Book- The Silence of Bones
I have a mouth, but I mustn’t speak;
Ears, but I mustn’t hear;
Eyes, but I mustn’t see.
1800, Joseon (Korea). Homesick and orphaned sixteen-year-old Seol is living out the ancient curse: “May you live in interesting times.” Indentured to the police bureau, she’s been tasked with assisting a well-respected young inspector with the investigation into the politically charged murder of a noblewoman.
As they delve deeper into the dead woman’s secrets, Seol forms an unlikely bond of friendship with the inspector. But her loyalty is tested when he becomes the prime suspect, and Seol may be the only one capable of discovering what truly happened on the night of the murder.
But in a land where silence and obedience are valued above all else, curiosity can be deadly.
It is silent at first. But it starts growing on you and then the voices start creeping up on you. Before you know it grips you tight and strong.
Read on for our review of the book
Our Review of The Silence of Bones
I am so glad that I went for the audiobook for the silence of the bones because the goosebumps were real. It was as if somebody was whispering dark secrets into my ear. I doubt that would have been possible with the paperback. So maybe it was the audiobook, or maybe, it was the book itself, either way, the book was worth it. Believe me, there were shortfalls, but the result was good enough for me to forget and forgive everything else.
One of the best things about this book is that it can take you to the Joseon era. The cultural flavour is explored amazingly in the book. I don’t care whether it is an apt representation or not. The fact that the entire book was soaked so richly in the Joseon era culture and nuisances made a huge impact. It is really helpful to make acquaintance with the era if you have not much experience with it and that too without overpowering you with loads of data and background information. That’s what I like about the book, that for a stranger to this era, the book doesn’t make it complicated to understand the native terms or traditions. The book just slowly eases you into it and thus it becomes easy to learn and understand the basics of the era. After all, it is not a history book. There is an actual story to explore rather than stopping for history lessons.
Yes, the book is a bit slow. Half of the time, it revolves around our main character leading us on a tour on life as a woman and that too a woman in the Joseon era where you are supposed to be invisible. It is interesting but at times eating up both pace and space of the actual murder mystery track of the book. But as I said, towards the second half, there were so many revelations and turns happening that I didn’t care that the book lagging in the beginning. Honestly, learning and watching the plight of women in this talked about era, through the eyes of our central character was overwhelming. Being a stranger to the era, I would say that the book taught me a lot about the cultural aspects.
Conclusion
Since I had this on audio, I would probably recommend that because the book takes a bit of time to kickstart its main action and before that it is majorly travelling with the central character through her daily life. While doing so, she shows you around the Joseon era. This is why it takes a bit of time to come to the actual mystery at hand. Having said that the pace isn’t that slow, that you wouldn’t enjoy it. It is silent at first. But it starts growing on you and then the voices start creeping up on you. Before you know it grips you tight and strong. You just need to give it a bit of time and the book just grows on you.
Squirrel Rating
