Released: 28th January 2019
Genre: Thriller, Drama, Psychological
Owen Mullen, much like Lee Child and Ian Rankin, has specialised in the thriller genre with many twists and turns to experience. Out of the Silence falls somewhere in the middle. It portrays setting and struggle with strong detail, but makes some contentious choices along the way.
The book opens with an introduction from Ralph Buchanan, a successful journalist based in Pakistan. He covers a story involving two rural individuals; Afra and Jameel. As teenagers, they fall in love with each other but family and societal traditions keep them from being together. They go down very different pathways. Mullen doesn’t hold anything back when describing Afra’s horrific predicament in a forced marriage; the visceral language conveys every ounce of abusive suffering. This is contrasted with Jameel’s more prosperous experience; making his way to Lahore with only a few possessions, he finds helpful role models, successful career opportunities and eventually a great fortune. The author clearly shows the different experiences between men and women, showing how one has massive advantages and privileges over the other.
Mullen also does a great job of showing the wider societal context. This is represented by a doctor named Simona Jasnin who interacts with both Afra and Ralph as the story progresses. One sequence involving a march for women’s rights turns ugly and we learn how deeply ingrained the inequality is across the nation. In some ways, placing characters at a distance does work to draw the reader in, observing these crimes from a higher position without first-hand experience. On occasion, we do see the perspective of Afra’s abusers which emphasises their eventual comeuppance.
When the sadism does subside, Out of the Silence puts us back into Ralph’s shoes and this is where things go sideways. The narrative steps away from its two main characters and delves into the issue of alcoholism for several chapters. It feels somewhat jarring when this thread could have run alongside the main narrative. Afra isn’t really a part of the story from then on. The ending is also quite inconclusive, once again the book pivots back to Ralph and Simona and their external comments which are quite disconnected from the empathy we feel for Jameel and Afra.
Recommended?
MAYBE: Out of The Silence is unflinching and brutal when portraying the cruel violence towards women in Pakistan, but it also veers off course when it comes to the perspective and characters. The decision to switch to Ralph at the halfway mark is questionable, as if a new story has started that moves Jameel and Afra to the side. Having the two sides run concurrently would have created a stronger sense of contrast and engagement.
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