There needed to be a book about silence. We live in a noisy
world, and true silence, if there is such a thing, is hard to
come by. I say “if there is such a thing” because, as author
Sara Maitland discovered, there is some sound everywhere. That
sound can be a lifesaver, preventing those who have been forced
to live in isolation from going mad. Or it can be a terrible
distraction for those who are straining to hear the voice of
God. Maitland (Daughter of Jerusalem) was crept up upon by
silence. Her life at a changing point, she found herself living
alone; in that state, with no one to sound off of, she began to
luxuriate in the quiet. That experience grew deeper, and as a
writer she was bound to explore it. She has given us not just
her personal view of soundlessness but also her investigations
into silence in literature, media, and some travels specifically
planned to go farther, even unto the desert. Silence is
generally associated with religious experience. There is,
however, an element of torture in it, s