José Saramago was a Portuguese writer who received the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature for his “parables sustained by imagination, compassion and irony [with which he] continually enables us once again to apprehend an elusory reality.” Today Caramel is talking to Sprinkles about The Silence of Water by Saramago, a picture book published in English in 2023. (The original Portuguese version was published in 2011). The book was translated into English by Margaret Jull Costa and was illustrated by Yolanda Mosquera.
Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we are talking about a picture book.
Caramel: Yes, it is called The Silence of Water.
S: Can you tell us what it is about?
C: Sure. It is about this kid, the author, who goes fishing, and catches this big fish, a barbel, and he tries to pull it out, but the fish is too strong and escapes. It just pulls his fishing rod and everything with it too.
S: Ouch!
C: Yes, so the boy is annoyed, and he runs back to his home and gets another fishing rod and stuff and gets back to the pond and tries to catch the barbel again. He waits and waits, until the night falls. But he fails to catch it ever again.
S: Hmm, that is the whole story, right?
C: Yes, it is short.
S: So what do you think about it?
C: I think it is good, but I kind of wished it was a little bit longer. There are many pages with just pictures in them. So there is a lot more room for more words. But they chose not to put more words.
S: Do you think that could be intentional? Maybe they wanted to make you feel the “silence”, without too many words.
C: I guess that makes sense, yeah, I can see the thinking that the writer may have had. The many wordless pages are really quiet, and you do sort of feel, or even hear, the silence.
S: I’d say many of the scenes have a serenity to them. Except the times the boy is running of course!
C: I guess so. It’s kind of cool.
S: The illustrations made me remember a couple books you reviewed before. Albert’s Quiet Quest and Colette’s Lost Pet, both by Isabelle Arsenault, and Captain Rosalie by Timothee De Fombelle. All three of those books had somewhat sparse illustrations, and quite limited color palettes, kind of like this book.
C: Yeah, I can see that. There is definitely a fixed and limited color scheme, and it looks kind of like a jungle, which may have been the idea.
S: Overgrown nature all around the boy, right? But it is not the wet green of the jungle; it is a lot more subdued. Though there are some reds and blacks too.
C: Yep, the contrast was pretty good.
S: Okay, so why do you think the book is titled The Silence of Water? Which water is it?
C: The pond, I think.
S: And in the pond, the barbel. The barbel is silent, too, right? The boy never gets to see or hear from it again?
C: Maybe, that could explain it.
S: Why do you think the author wrote this book, Caramel? What do we get out of it as readers?
C: it was the fact that he never stopped trying to catch the fish, so the theme is to never give up.
S: I can see that Caramel. A great analysis! Did you know that the text is actually an excerpt from the author’s memoir Small Memories, originally published in Portuguese in 2006? At the back cover it says that it is taken from a story of his childhood, “a tale of quiet conviction”.
C: Huh, I think “conviction” is a big word for a lot of young bunnies.
S: You are right it is a big word. But you know what it means, right? It means more or less what you said. It means determination. It means having a belief or opinion but very firmly held. So the boy was determined to catch the fish. And it was impossible, and he more or less knew it was impossible, but he still gave it his all. And in the end, in most such stories, we often see the main character succeeding. So the moral becomes if you persist, you will eventually win. But this boy does not win. He does not get the fish. What do you say to that?
C: Well, that makes sense. The boy does not get the fish, but he knows he tried. And he also says in the end that he still left his mark on the fish. The fish is still his in some way. Though it is a bit morbid to say that. Because the mark he left on the fish is probably a big wound. The fish is probably wounded by the fishing hook and stuff. So he did leave a mark. But I am not sure I like the mark. Poor fish.
S: You have a good point Caramel. The fish is hurt most likely. But then again maybe, since it is such a big and powerful fish, maybe it will be alright. And there will only be a little scar left.
C: Huh, that’s a good way to see that. I hope so. And then it would be kind of like a memory. And the boy could feel that he made an impression. And it would not be so morbid. Okay, I will take it like that.
S: Yes, let us do that. Then the boy’s story of determination, or of “conviction” like the book tells us, is still inspiring. The boy did not give up. And it was impossible, and he did fail, in the most straightforward meaning of the word, but he did leave his mark. And he did not give up. So he does end the book in an upbeat tone.
C: Yes, he does, I guess. I was trying to understand why. This helped.
S: Talking things out with you always helps me, too, Caramel. So overall, did you find this book worthwhile?
C: Yeah, it is a quick read, and the pictures are lovely, and when you dig into the determination thingy, it has a deeper message, too. Yes, overall, I like it! And I think other little bunnies could enjoy it, too!
S: That is great, thank you Caramel. So let us wrap this up, because it is getting really late.
C: Yes. I should sleep soon.
S: What would you like to tell our readers?
C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!
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