[7YB]∎ Download Silence Once Begun A Novel Jesse Ball 9780307908483 Books

Silence Once Begun A Novel Jesse Ball 9780307908483 Books

Download As PDF : Silence Once Begun A Novel Jesse Ball 9780307908483 Books

Silence Once Begun A Novel Jesse Ball 9780307908483 Books

I enjoyed the mysterious atmosphere of Silence Once Begun. Oda Sotatsu is a mild mannered thread salesman who lives a quiet life. Suddenly, he is thrust into the limelight as being the person behind the Narito Disappearances. These disappearances occurred where the occupant of a home suddenly vanished and a calling card was left on the door. Foul play is at hand and Oda signs a confession saying he is the one responsible and he is immediately arrested.

Told in interview and typed transcripts, Jesse Ball recounts the tale of Oda from family members, friends and jail workers. Oda remains strangely silent throughout the process though he is innocent of having anything to do with the Narito Disappearances which are deemed murders. The police are convinced he is responsible due to the confession and Oda is treated horribly. His family is torn. Only two people know what really happened and they are a little hard for Jesse to track down but he does.

This tale unfolds slowly giving alternating viewpoints. I found this style intriguing. I didn't find a huge payoff at the end. I was mildly surprised but not astounded. This book carries a message of sorts but it is far from satisfying in the relaying of said message. All in all it may be viewed as a sad commentary as it is a sad tale. I thought the pictures that are included in the book added an additional mysterious and stark aspect to the book. There is plenty of food for thought in this book, though in turn it may turn out like Chinese food and the affect wears off rather quickly instead of providing a more substantial value for such a message.


Tags : Silence Once Begun: A Novel [Jesse Ball] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. From the celebrated author of The Curfew</i> (“A spare masterwork of dystopian fiction” —The New York Times Book Review</i>),Jesse Ball,Silence Once Begun: A Novel,Pantheon,0307908488,Historical - General,Mystery & Detective - International Mystery & Crime,Americans;Japan;Fiction.,Journalists;Fiction.,Secrets;Fiction.,AMERICAN MYSTERY & SUSPENSE FICTION,Americans,FICTION Historical General,FICTION Mystery & Detective International Crime & Mystery,Fiction,Fiction Crime,Fiction Historical,Fiction Literary,Fiction-Coming of Age,Fiction-Suspense,GENERAL,General Adult,Japan,Journalists,MysterySuspense,Secrets,United States

Silence Once Begun A Novel Jesse Ball 9780307908483 Books Reviews

A fascinating and compelling small gem of a book.
A disturbing, but moving story. Jesse has earned my respect.
Unusual moving story
The twist got me but man it was a long hard to road to get there. Not sure if it was worth the journey honestly. If we could do half stars I'd probably do 2.5 stars but as it is I'll round up.
This is my second Jesse Ball novel, and once again I find myself feeling an immense sense of intellectual fulfillment upon reading it.

The story is about a man named Oda Sotatsu who confesses to a mysterious crime known as the Narito Disappearances, and then refuses to speak to interrogators, lawyers, family members or anyone else following his arrest. The narrative plays out as a series of interviews between a curious journalist and individuals from Sotatsu’s life who may have some insight into what exactly happened.

Lyrical and haunting, Ball’s prose is the kind that you want to read carefully to absorb every single word. He manages to create an eerie, melancholy tone in the first few pages that carries over throughout the rest of the book. And the mystery at the heart of it all is consistently engaging; never dull or frustrating.

Clearly influenced by Camus and Kafka, Silence Once Begun is a somber, absurd, nihilistic story that critiques the nature of confession and the role that public perception inevitably plays in determining one’s guilt or innocence.
Jesse Ball (born June 7, 1978) is an American poet and novelist. He has published novels, volumes of poetry, short prose, and drawings. His works are distinguished by the use of a spare style. Previous novels include “The Curfew”, “The Way Through Doors” and “Samedi the Deafness”.

“Silence Once Begun” undoubtedly tells a strange tale. Like many young people even today, Sato Kakuzo was an idealist, who viewed the notion of “justice”, at least in the legal sense, as wholly inadequate because of its failure to secure the truth. In his quest to prove the point Kakuzo engages Oda Sotatsu in a game of chance which invariably Oda loses. As a consequence of his loss, Oda is sworn to silence about the contents of his signed false confession that Kakuzo put before him.

The tragedy is twofold first Oda Sotatsu gives up his freedom and ultimately his life for no consequence; and secondly, Sato Kakuzo finds despair in that his plan, while successful, yielded no significant conclusion – it being wholly forgotten along with him and Sotatsu.

There is more to the writing than the summary that I have laid out. There is a considerable amount of philosophical expression devoted to each of the different participants in the story. Each plies his own layer of wisdom, sometimes faulty, and it assembles around the individualism of the participant’s life knowledge.

In conclusion, I found the novel to be only somewhat to my liking. It was strange in its construction and particularly confounding in its moral depth. The latter providing some incredulity as to the actions committed by the players – but of course, this is after all, the heart of the work. If nothing more, the novel is short and can be read rather quickly so I am suggesting that you might like to add it to your reading list.
I enjoyed the mysterious atmosphere of Silence Once Begun. Oda Sotatsu is a mild mannered thread salesman who lives a quiet life. Suddenly, he is thrust into the limelight as being the person behind the Narito Disappearances. These disappearances occurred where the occupant of a home suddenly vanished and a calling card was left on the door. Foul play is at hand and Oda signs a confession saying he is the one responsible and he is immediately arrested.

Told in interview and typed transcripts, Jesse Ball recounts the tale of Oda from family members, friends and jail workers. Oda remains strangely silent throughout the process though he is innocent of having anything to do with the Narito Disappearances which are deemed murders. The police are convinced he is responsible due to the confession and Oda is treated horribly. His family is torn. Only two people know what really happened and they are a little hard for Jesse to track down but he does.

This tale unfolds slowly giving alternating viewpoints. I found this style intriguing. I didn't find a huge payoff at the end. I was mildly surprised but not astounded. This book carries a message of sorts but it is far from satisfying in the relaying of said message. All in all it may be viewed as a sad commentary as it is a sad tale. I thought the pictures that are included in the book added an additional mysterious and stark aspect to the book. There is plenty of food for thought in this book, though in turn it may turn out like Chinese food and the affect wears off rather quickly instead of providing a more substantial value for such a message.