The Seduction of Silence
by Bem Le Hunte
List Price: $25.95
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 006052197X
Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco
Infused with the magic of India and the great mysteries of life, The Seduction of Silence follows the spiritual and emotional journeys of a remarkable Indian family through five generations.
Aakash, venerated sage and healer, is the founder of Prakriti -- an abundant farm in the Himalayas. From this soulful mountain home, his children embark on the journeys that will sway the destinies of future generations: gentle son Ram, whose fierce search for enlightenment will force him to choose between his family and his soul; daughter Tulsi Devi, whose convent schooling provides an unexpected, brutal education forever altering her life; Tulsi Devi's beloved first child, Jivan -- born in the waters of the Ganges, cruelly separated from his mother; and Aakash's granddaughter Rohini, who travels across the world on a painted bus to a new land and a new kind of freedom, immersing herself in the London of the 1960s.
With Rohini's daughter, Saakshi, the search for enlightenment comes full circle, and the great-granddaughter returns to her spiritual home -- the holy mountains of Prakriti, where their family story first began. Both magical and utterly compelling, this spellbinding novel interweaves family sagas with the richness of Indian mysticism, creating an intimate portrait of an unforgettable family.
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1. Characters like Aakash and Ram are strongly motivated to renounce the world and devote themselves single-mindedly to spiritual practice. To what extent is spiritual progress possible 'in the world.' How do the spiritual and profane realms work together in life and in this book?
2. To what extent do the births explored in this novel create turning points in the story?
3. Rohini observes that life and death are part of the same continuum. Do the themes of birth and death work as parallels or opposites in The Seduction of Silence?
4. To what extent do the spiritual beliefs of the characters dictate their destinies?
5. How do the different characters reflect the theme of Silence?
6. What is the importance of 'belief' in this story? Is it necessary to share the same belief systems as the characters in order to understand the ideals represented in this book?
7. The Seduction of Silence takes place over 100 years in time, across different nations and different levels of consciousness. What are the threads that tie this story together and make it cohesive?
8. How do the past and the present work together in The Seduction of Silence? To what extent does history make an impact on the experiences and emotions of the characters?
9. To what extent do the women in The Seduction of Silence break the patterns of their mothers? How easy is it to break patterns that are handed down?
10. The Himalayas are described by the author as the perfect setting for the soul. How important is the landscape to the spiritual sentiment of this book?
11. To what extent is The Seduction of Silence bound by time and place, and to what extent is its message universal?
12. Which parts of the book seem to be based on truth? Which parts are obviously 'magical'? How is magic presented as real and how is reality presented as fiction? Is the difference between the two of any significance?
13. In your opinion, which event is the most magical and memorable in The Seduction of Silence, and why?
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"A lovely… ambitious novel …Le Hunte threads events together with a confident, steady hand…."
—Washington Post
"...a glorious mélange of family saga, social commentary, and treatise on spirituality."
—Booklist
"A splendidly conceived saga weaving the history of an entire culture into the portrait of one family: vivid, compelling, utterly fascinating."
—Kirkus Reviews
"There is real enchantment here...[in] prose as vivid and arresting as a marigold. I couldn’t put it down."
—Geraldine Brooks, author of Year of Wonders and Nine Parts of Desire
"An unexpected delight... [Le Hunte] gives new meaning to the search for spiritual fulfillment."
—Lalita Tademy, author of Oprah Book Club selection Cane River
"The Seduction of Silence is a work of persuasive imagination...such scope, power and narrative charm...ample and fascinating."
—Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler's List
"Passionate prose, which although lacking the mad pyrotechnics of Rushdie’s wordplay, is nonetheless just as intense."
—Melbourne Age
"A many-layered feast of a book."
—Adelaide Advertiser
"This intricate tale moves across continents and time as it maps the reaches of the soul."
—Vogue Australia
"Although few of us have the inclination to truly take on life as a journey - we should at least find reasons to read books such as this one."
—Melbourne Herald Sun
