Songs of Silence

by Curdella Forbes

A sequence of beautifully crafted tales, Songs of Silence is a colourful patchwork of observations of life in rural Jamaica, as seen through the eyes of a young girl. Held together by the sure and simple voice of a child, this powerful collection is interspersed with the whisper of adult reflection, rendering the accounts at once sensuous and disarmingly honest. Inhabiting an elusive space between what is said and what is felt, what is conveyed and what is perceived, silence becomes a metaphor of rage and fear, of loneliness and contentment, confusion and clarification in these songs that explore social change and individual growth. Oscillating between Creole and Standard English, Songs of Silence is an accomplished piece of writing distinguished by an extraordinary sophistication of language and stylistic confidence. Relayed with a rare intimacy and detail, recollections are translated into a series of tales in which the narrator becomes a mouthpiece for a multiplicity of voices, each with their own story to tell. This novel comprises a series of eight linked episodes, all of which focus on different members of a rural community in Jamaica, seen through the eyes of a young girl growing up and remembered by the adult she became.

Genres: Short Stories

154 pages, Paperback

First published January 17, 2003

About the author

CURDELLA FORBES is a Jamaican American writer who lives in Takoma Park, Maryland, and teaches at Howard University. A Tall History of Sugar is her latest novel.

Reviews

[Kaydeen Henry]

according to songs of silence written by curdella forbes i think that she expresses her feelings towards her community.the story took place in rural jamaica in 1960.chapter one was based on miss effie and the role she played in that chapter ,effita.she is a very fun person,shes the oldest person in the villagewho is as town cryer.she annouces the death of the people located in her village .miss effie is a religious person,in the scene.she announced the death of someone and then aparently one day shemade amistake ,saying that melwyn died and he didnt died ,he was in prison.occassionally she also had nephew who died and she didnt annoced the death of her nephew.because she falt the pain tha the others felt when their family died.a theme that is shown in chapter one is mother hood. this theme is shown when efita show how much she cares for life of an innocence child.she brings out her mother hood by showing this care and loving for children.
aunt sara is another main character who shows mother ood in the novel songs of silence by curdella forbes.she another character who help in the mother hood of the children in the vilage,the difference is that aunt sara annoncewhen a child is born .she is the deliver of the baby.she is the person who takes the baby out of the womb of the babys mother.
genealogy is another theme entitled in the novel,this is shown when the villagers in the community show the loving and care of each other,the villagers would normally come otside the house and listen to miss effie when she is delivering the message of the death of aperson.

[Samantha Cardoza]

im from Jamaica so i think this book is amazing!!

[Zephan Popo]

it great

[Breanne Ivor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Songs of Silence is a collection of interconnected #shortstories about life in 1960s rural Jamaica. Our narrator is a young girl and her voice is honest, simple, disarming and perceptive.
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'Melwyn was strange and important in our district because he had gone to prison and been let out and come back home. Before Melwyn, I had never known anyone who went to prison, and in my mind he was a great mystery and something of a celebrity. I asked my mother what he go to prison for but I can't remember what she say, which means she must have been enormously vague on the matter. My mother was always vague on things she felt you shouldn't know but didn't want to say it out loud in case you got too interested and decided to find out for yourself.'
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This illustrates one of the fundamental tensions in the book - the tension between stories and silence. The community is overflowing with stories, with sayings for every occasion and with nicknames for people and things (like a car christened 'may reach'). But adults act as gatekeepers, keeping our narrator out of certain conversations. She tries to figure out what Melwyn is guilty of alone. Later, she tries to figure out why she can no longer swim in the river and how does that relate to her growing breasts? She tries to figure out why her mother sings all day when Long Man visits their family.
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I think all of us have experienced that space between sound and silence, between what was said and what was meant. Every community has its secrets and silences. Here, major and minor characters embrace silence, maybe to forget the past, maybe to prevent people from gossiping, maybe because they are afraid to speak. 'Bathsheba was tall and stately with skin like the underside of a cocoa leaf, and she was so quiet, you felt you could reach out and touch her quietness.'

[Toni Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a critical piece of my memory as a Jamaican. There are terms that are included in this book that bring a smile to my face as they will capture in writing components of the Jamaican dialect that will otherwise be lost. Words like Shampata and dulicimina. It's curious how this book brought me back to a time when I didn't even exist, there are words I knew but not sure how I knew them as they had simply been passed on to me as lore. The book is nostalgic and comforting. Writer Forbes you outdid yourself with these short stories and I look forward to more of your work.

[Cody-ann Britton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Catcher in the Rye

[Mrs.]

This was compulsory reading for work-related purposes. Was not one of my favourites.

[Codian Melbourne]

it's okay i guess not really my style but it's one of those books that some people meant like and some may not, try it though you never know :) xoxo

[Patrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

where is the book

[Malika Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

its awesome