The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

The Fountains of Silence takes place in Madrid, beginning in 1957. This is post World War II and in the time of General Francisco Franco’s repressive regime. During the years that Franco was in power Spain was a country left in the grip of post war poverty and isolation. As the rest of Western Europe modernized and prospered in the 1960s and 1970s Spain did not.

One of the things I find most amazing as a baby boomer of my age is that I have lived through so much of the past. I vividly remember travelling in Spain in the 1960s, the poor condition of the roads and the lack of so much that we took for granted in the Western World. And, always, the fear of the Guardia Civil who walked along the cliffs, with German shepherd dogs and rifles, above the beach at San Sebastian while the tourists spent holiday hours swimming in the surf. In 1997 when I next returned to Spain I was astounded at the change, the roads in exceptional condition and the country prosperous. The characters in Ruta Sepetys novel The Fountains of Silence prayed for this future – one of prosperity and freedom, with the ability to support their families in comfort. Things we think of as basic rights were not to be had in Spain until after the death of Franco in November 1975.

The Fountains of Silence is the story of the Moreno family, particularly Ana who works at the new Castellana Hilton Hotel; her sister Julia, a seamstress; their brother Rafa, a butcher; and their cousin, Puri, who works in an orphanage. All are changed by the arrival of the Matheson family, especially Daniel, the son and heir to a Texas oil fortune. Daniel desires only to become a photojournalist, following in the footsteps of his hero, Robert Capa. It is the relationship between Ana, poor but very lovely and ambitious, and Daniel the young idealistic rich kid that becomes the centre of the story. Ana introduces Daniel to a Spain and a people he could not have known otherwise. She also takes him to the Sorolla Museum, an oasis of calm even then in the city of Madrid.

As I did when I read The Song of the Jade Lily by Kirsty Manning a few months ago, I wondered what I had to learn from this novel, but recognized that if anyone young learns about Robert Capa, Sorolla and the repression of Franco, the novel is worth reading. I did not know about the role of the Spanish orphanages that is revealed in this novel, or really much about the lives of the citizens of Spain during this time.

Madrid is now a vibrant and wonderful city, with museums, galleries, and bars and restaurants, where one can spend weeks exploring without a moment of boredom. The Fountains of Silence is a good read, about a wonderful city and if it leads readers to more books about the time and place that is even better.

It was sometime after reading The Fountains of Silence that I discovered it is classified by the publisher as “young adult”. I thought it a good read for any age.