The Silence of God

Time for another book review! How I do love books...

The Silence of God is a historical novel by Gale Sears. Historical novels are almost always a sure bet with me, and this one was no exception. I loved it and I highly recommend it.

The setting for this one is Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution. Personally, I didn't remember much from the history lessons I'm sure I must have had in school, so the book was especially fascinating. The people of Russia really had it rough for decades. I just had no idea.

The main characters in The Silence of God are the Lindlof family, an actual family who also happened to be the first and only Russian members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at that time. The novel also centers on the character of Natasha Ivanovna, who is a fictional friend to the oldest Lindlof daughter, Agnes. Natasha begins the novel as an agnostic Bolshevik writer, but soon comes to realize that she does not agree with many of the means that the Bolsheviks employ to force compliance to their ideals. She begins to see that men cannot change other men's hearts.

This is a novel with a great title that has layered meanings. For the Lindlof family, who witnessed the dedication of Russia by an apostle of the Lord, it's a trial of faith as they endure the seeming silence of God as Russia descends further into chaos. For the Bolsheviks, they would like nothing better than to remove God from every part of Russia--to silence Him. But God has a way of speaking to those who want to listen.

**For another interesting story that takes place in Russia, read Winter Garden by Kristen Hannah.**