Titel:
Lies of Silence
Geschreven door: Moore, Brian Auteursinformatie
Jaar:
1990
Taal:
Engels
Vorm:
Roman
Periode:
1980-
Thema:
IRA , Noord-Ierland , Terrorisme
Bron:
Grote Leeswijzer Engels, 1997
Uitgever:
JMB
Brian Moore is geboren in Belfast, Noord-Ierland. In 1948 emigreerde hij naar Canada, waar hij in
Montreal als journalist werkte. Later verhuisde hij eerst naar New York en daarna naar Californië,
waar hij aan filmscenario's werkte. De thema's in zijn werk hebben te maken met zijn katholieke
achtergrond in een verdeeld Ierland. Zijn eerste roman was The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
(1955), een verhaal over een eenzame ongetrouwde dame in Belfast. Zijn beste boek is wellicht I Am
Mary Dunne (1968), waaruit Moores interesse in een gespleten persoonlijkheid blijkt. Black Robe
(1985) gaat over 17e-eeuwse Jezuïeten en Canadese Indianen. The Colour of Blood (1987)
behandelt het conflict tussen de politiek en de geestelijkheid in het communistische Polen. Lies of
Silence werd genomineerd voor de Booker Prize in 1991.
Lies of Silence is een thriller met politiek achtergronden die zich voornamelijk afspeelt in Belfast in
het hopeloos verdeelde Noord-Ierland. Michael Dillon is een succesvolle hotelmanager van het
grootste hotel van de stad. Hij is een verhouding begonnen met Andrea Baxter, een jonge
journaliste, en hij staat op het punt zijn vrouw in te lichten. Maar dan dringt de IRA hun huis binnen
en gijzelt hen beiden. Michael moet 's morgens net als anders met zijn auto naar het hotel rijden en
op de normale plaats parkeren. Alleen bevat de auto een bom, die moet ontploffen en een
gezelschap protestanten en hun leider (een Ian Paisley-achtig figuur) moet opblazen. Doet hij dit
niet, dan wordt zijn vrouw gedood. Een verschrikkelijk dilemma, waarvoor hij een oplossing moet
bedenken tijdens de rit naar het hotel. Hij vindt een oplossing, maar deze heeft uiteindelijk zeer
verstrekkende gevolgen voor hemzelf, want de IRA vergeet nooit.
Iets waarvan je aanneemt dat het jou nooit zal overkomen: de IRA die je huis binnendringt en je
gijzelt. Michael Dillon had het ook nooit kunnen denken, maar in de nu volgende passage uit de
roman overkomt het hem.
He turned and looked at Moira's sleeping figure in the bed. She had not wakened. Now, coming up
the entryway towards the white Ford, he saw the shadowy figures of two men. They went past the
Ford and one of them quietly opened the garden gate. When he saw them come in, he turned and
went quickly out on to the landing and down the stairs. He reached the ground floor, and stopped to
listen. He heard a murmur of voices at the back door. He knew the back door was locked. At once,
he turned and ran to the front hallstand where the phone was. As he did, there was a tinkle of broken
glass behind him. He reached the hallstand but, in the darkness, fumbled among gloves and
scarves, trying to locate the telephone receiver. As he picked it up, footsteps sounded behind him.
'Put that down,' a voice said. 'Stay where you are.'
A blinding light shone in his face. 'Where's the switch?' a second voice said. They were young
voices, flat, male, Ulster accents. The blinding light came closer.
The hall light came on.
Facing him, a flashlight in one hand and a revolver in the other, was a hooded figure, its head
masked in a woollen balaclava helmet, the eyeholes cut wide showing the cheek-bones. The intruder
wore woollen gloves, a cheap blue Western-style shirt with metal-clip buttons, faded jeans and
running shoes. Behind him, standing by the light switch, was another, similarly dressed figure, also
pointing a revolver.
He had seen them on the evening television news and in newspaper photographs, theatrical figures,
firing revolver volleys over paramilitary graves, marching in parades with banners and flags. But like
most people he kept well away from the events themselves so that now, for the first time in his life,
he was looking at them, here in his house, real revolvers, faceless, staring eyes, scruffy boys in
woollen masks. Who are they? Are they Protestants or Catholics - UDA or IRA? Is this one of those
mistakes where they come in and shoot the wrong person?
'What do you want?' He heard the fear in his voice.
'IRA. Where's your wife?'
'She's upstairs, asleep.'
As he spoke, there was a sound of footsteps in the kitchen.Two more masked intruders came
through the kitchen into the hall. One of them was very tall and carried a walkie-talkie. Both were
armed. They went into the darkened sitting-room, then came out again. The tall one shut off his
walkie-talkie, which had been making a crackling sound.
'Go up and bring her down,' the one with the flashlight told Dillon, then turned and pointed to the
smallest member of the group. 'Volunteer, you go with him.'
The small one kept his revolver pointed at Dillon's back as they went upstairs.
Titel:
Lies of Silence
Geschreven door: Moore, Brian Auteursinformatie
Jaar:
1990
Taal:
Engels
Vorm:
Roman
Periode:
1980-
Thema:
IRA , Noord-Ierland , Terrorisme
Bron:
Highlights : 99 Present-day Novels in English, 1995
Uitgever:
Walvaboek
About the author
Brian Moore was born in Belfast in 1921 to Catholic parents who sent him to St Malachy's College,
where he received a traditional Catholic education. Apart from being traditional Catholics his parents
also hated the English, as do so many other Irish Catholics. During World War II Brian Moore broke
with his Catholic childhood. He served with the British Ministry of War Transport in the South of
France, in Italy and North Africa. After the war he worked for the United Nations in Poland. In 1948
he emigrated to Canada, where he worked as a clerk, proofreader and journalist. He married in
1951, published some stories and mystery novels,and made his name with The Lonely Passion of
Judith Hearne (1955). Its success made him decide to become a full-time writer. He lived in New
York for a while but eventually settled in Malibu, California, in l965, where he still lives and works.
Brian Moore has won many awards for his work, in Canada, the United States and in Britain. He has
been shortlisted twice for the Booker Prize, the most prestigious literary award in Britain: for The
Doctor's Wife (1976) and for Lies of Silence (1990). Some other titles of successful novels are: The
Mangan Inheritance (1979), Black Robe (1985) and The Color of Blood (1987).
Introduction
In many ways Lies of Silence is a thriller, because it provides surprise, it creates tension, and a crime
is committed.
In Lies of Silence Brian Moore follows the example of Raymond Chandler, the master of the crime
thriller and the creator of Philip Marlowe, the famous private eye. Like Chandler Brian Moore writes
about ordinary people whose lives are pictured realistically against an unpleasant background of
hatred, violence and killings. In this case it is the reality of Catholics hating Protestants, Catholics
opposing British rule in Northern Ireland, and Protestants preaching a message of religious hatred
and social discrimination. Belfast is also pictured realistically: the streets that are mentioned sound
familiar because of so many news items about the violence that has taken place.
But Lies of Silence is more than just a thriller. It describes the struggle of an individual in a crisis
which consists of two elements: the breaking-up of his marriage and an unexpected IRA attack. The
fact that both events take place at the same time makes it impossible to solve either satisfactorily.
Religion, politics, social circumstances and a person's character play such vital roles in this story,
that it has a far greater impact than an ordinary thriller.
At the background of the story there are always the 'Troubles' as the civil war in Northern Ireland is
euphemistically called. In 1969 British troops were sent in to protect the Catholics from Protestant
violence (after an annual Protestant parade 6 people were killed and 150 Catholic homes burned).
But without serious social reforms the situation could not improve. The Catholics began to resent the
presence of the troops more and more. The IRA, the Irish Republican Army, a secret organisation
which had practically disappeared, was brought back to life and began its war for a free Ireland,
Northern Ireland united with the Irish Republic. Internment laws made the British even more
unpopular among the Catholics. Attempts to solve the Northern Irish crisis have all been
unsuccessful so far. Lies of Silence shows what the effects of this conflict are on ordinary people,
people who have absolutely no wish to become involved.
According to the writer it is the lies that have created this situation: the lies poor Protestant workers
hear about Catholics and the lies poor Catholic workers hear about Protestants. The lies are told
from pulpits, during mass meetings (think of the Reverend Ian Paysley - the Reverend Alun Pottinger
in this novel) but most of all the lies of politicians who refuse to acknowledge the injustice of the
political situation in Northern Ireland. The 'Lies of Silence' are the refusals of ordinary people to
speak up against the irresponsible violence of the IRA.
Lies of Silence also deals with moral dilemmas. Michael Dillon has to decide whether to put the life of
his wife at risk in order to save the lives of many people, or to protect his wife and risk the lives of
dozens of people.
Another dilemma the main character faces is whether or not to identify an IRA gunman. Co-operating
with the police will almost certainly put his own life and that of his wife at risk. Refusing to testify will
leave the gunmen free to strike again and again, making more victims. And then Michael Dillon
himself will be guilty of a 'lie of silence.'
Summary
Michael Dillon is manager of the Clarence Hotel in Belfast. It is a busy time because of graduation
week at Queen's University and because of a breakfast of the Orange Order the following day. The
Rev. Alun Pottinger, a declared anti-Catholic, will be delivering a speech.
After work Dillon meets Andrea Baxter, a Canadian woman who works for the BBC and with whom
Michael has been having an affair for the past few months. He tells her to accept the new job she
has been offered, head researcher for an arts programme. The drawback is that it is in London, but
Michael tells her he will divorce Moira, his wife, and apply for a transfer to a London hotel.
After dropping Andrea off at her flat, Dillon drives home to his house in a middle class area of
Belfast, an area where there are no problems between Protestants and Catholics.
At home he meets Peg Wilton, a friend of Moira's, who is just leaving. Dillon offers to run her home.
In the car she tells him that she can offer Moira the running of a shop in Belfast. Michael agrees that
it will be good for Moira, who often feels quite useless in spite of her qualifications as a teacher.
Back home Michael Dillon finds the dead body of his cat, Teddy, in the garden, looking as if it has
been hit by a car. He decides to leave it under some bushes for the time being, so that Moira will not
see it.
Moira suffers from bulimia, a fact of which she only told him after their marriage. She can also be
absolutely unreasonable when arguing, only to be very sweet and amorous the next moment.
That night Dillon wakes up at 4.15 a.m. When going to the bathroom he sees a white Ford in front of
his house, the same car he saw hours before. While dialling the police he is interrupted by a hooded
figure with a flashlight and a gun. There is another armed man with him. They tell him they are IRA
and order him to get his wife downstairs.
The IRA gunman is young and nervous and he looks dangerous. He tells them they are going to be
there until morning and he wants them to be quiet and not to do anything foolish.
Moira hectors the gunman and two other IRA men have to come in to get the situation under control.
A different guard is left with them. When Moira needs to go to the toilet, the first gunman goes with
her to the first floor to stand guard outside the bathroom. Moira climbs out of the bathroom window
and tries to escape via the roof of a shed. Unfortunately she is discovered and taken inside again,
where the IRA men threaten them not to try anything again.
Dillon has heard one of the men calling the young one Kev. When he addresses the boy by that
name, the boy denies that his name is Kev.
There is a moment of great tension when two policemen come walking down the road, but nothing
happens. Shortly after seven a.m. Dillon is told to step outside. Moira panicks, but she is told that
nothing will happen to him if he obeys. He is ordered to put on the clothes he would have worn to
work that day. Then he is given instuctions to drive to the hotel as normal and to park his car in his
reserved space. He is not to go into the hotel but to a small shop from where he must signal a green
taxi. The IRA man warns him that he will be followed, so that, if he does anything unusual, Moira will
be killed.
Dillon drives his car into the city, taking the route the kidnappers have prescribed. In his rearview
mirror he sees the white Ford, until it veers off close to the hotel. The guards at the hotel entrance
wave him through. Through the windows behind his parking space he sees the people who have
come to listen to the Rev. Alun Pottinger, and suddenly he realizes that Pottinger is the target of the
IRA.
Dillon walks out of the hotel entrance, crosses the street and enters the shop the IRA man has
mentioned. He asks if there is a telephone and he calls the police. He gives them the details of the
hotel, the bomb, and of Moira's situation. The police tell him they will go to his house immediately
and ask him to go to the hotel to give a warning.
He runs across the street shouting 'bomb scare' to the people he sees. The police arrive at the scene
very quickly. They succeed in getting everyone out of the hotel before the bomb explodes, but they
cannot give Michael any news about Moira yet. Therefore he aks Maggie Donlon, a receptionist, if he
can borrow her car. He drives to his house very quickly worrying about Moira all the time. The police
are in front of and inside the house, but Moira is all right. He is told that the IRA left some time after
eight. They are both questioned about the events of the night and about the IRA men.
The police warn them to keep quiet about what happened, because the IRA might want to take
revenge on people who have disobeyed their orders. They even say it might be safer for the Dillons
to leave Ireland altogether.
Back at the hotel Dillon notices that the restaurant is closed. His assistant manager Roty Burke tells
him the big boss in London wants to speak to him on the phone. Dan Keogh, the big boss, makes
him a compliment on the way he has handled the situation, but tells him to speak about his request
for a transfer with his assistant, Dwayne Harrison, who is visiting the Clarence that afternoon.
In the meantime Andrea is waiting for Michael. She is shocked to hear that Michael phoned the
police in spite of IRA threats to kill Moira.
Dillon talks to Dwayne Harrison about his wish to move to London. When Dwayne is leaving Dillon is
addressed by a man, who wants to pass him Dr Pottinger's thanks. But the man's extreme Protestant
opinions antagonize him.
Then Dillon drives to Lurgan to see Moira, who is staying with her parents there. He drives a car from
a hire firm, but constantly looks in his rear-view mirror to see if anyone is following him.
He watches the six o'clock news with Moira and her mother. The third item covers the bomb attack,
followed by an interview with Dr Pottinger.
Moira tells Dillon that she will not leave Northern Ireland, because she refuses to be pushed around
by the IRA. She also accuses Michael of not caring for her, because of his phonecall to the police.
She is determined to stand up to the IRA now and to start a crusade against them. Her father and
mother try to persuade her to be careful, but she is determined. When she quarrels with him, Michael
tells her that he is returning to Belfast that same night.
Back at the hotel he takes the 'Jacuzzi', the most expensive suite at the hotel. Andrea comes up and
joins him there. She decides to stay the night in spite of possible gossip.
The next morning they are having breakfast in the dining-room of the hotel, when Moira walks up to
them. She draws her conclusions about seeing Michael with Andrea and she tells Michael that he
can go to London, but that she is starting in Peg Wilton's shop that morning. A little later Michael's
boss calls from London to inform him of his appointment as assistant manager at the Ormonde, one
of the larger hotels of the group.
Then Dillon visits his now empty house to get his clothes. Looking out of a window he again sees a
white Ford. He feels certain the IRA are after him, so he runs towards his car and drives down the
road watching for the Ford. There is no white car in sight.
He drives to the city centre, to Peg Wilton's shop. He thinks he will find Moira there, but Peg tells him
Moira has just been interviewed on television about what happened to her and Michael. She also
says that Moira may not be the right person to be working in her shop being an IRA target.
Dillon tells Rory Burke, his assistant, to take over management of the Clarence from him on a
temporary basis. Then he drives over to the BBC building and demands to see Moira. Moira tells him
she is determined to go on speaking out against the IRA.
Back at the hotel Michael finds his father waiting for him. Michael has been so busy that he has not
answered several of his father's phonecalls. They discuss the situation. When his father leaves
Michael is addressed by a reporter from the Independent . The man says that Moira told him about
Michael being able to identify one of the IRA men. Just then he is wanted on the phone: a man's
voice accuses him of having said too much.
Michael traces down Moira and speaks to her again. Moira is not impressed by Michael's fears, nor
by the fact that Michael has been followed.
Two police officers are waiting for Michael at the reception desk. They tell him they know the IRA
man called Kev, whom they want Michael to identify, when they catch him. Michael agrees to come
over from London whenever they need him. After they have left Michael watches the news, in which
there is another interview with Moira. He also reads Moira's story in the newspapers.
The next morning Moira tells him that she has seen a lawyer and that nothing she does is any of
Michael's business anymore.
In the afternoon there is a farewell party for Michael organized by the staff. While packing his
luggage Michael is phoned by a priest, Father Matt Connolly, who wants to see him. Father Connolly
says he remembers Michael from school, but Michael does not remember. The priest asks him not to
testify against Kev, in order to protect the boy's mother who is worried sick. Michael absolutely
refuses to give in to such a demand. When the priest leaves, Michael worries about the implications
of what the priest, an IRA supporter, has told him.
Andrea and Michael drive to the airport, where he phones his mother in order to tell her about
Andrea. His mother is not surprised about Michael's divorce and promises to keep in touch with
Moira.
In London they put up at a luxurious Hampstead flat, borrowed from some friends of Andrea's
parents. At the Ormonde Michael Dillon meets Ronny Pomfret, the manager, who mentions a rumour
about Dan Keogh buying the Wellington hotel, where Michael will be the new manager. At five p.m.
there is a request for him to call Detective Inspector Randall in Belfast. He is told that the police have
picked up Kevin McDowell, and now they want him to come over to Belfast to identify him. He tells
them he will not be able to leave for a day or two.
When he tells Andrea about his trip to Belfast, she begs him not to go. Her worries and tears make
him change his mind about testifying, and he promises to call the police.
The next morning Moira calls him to tell him about a visit from the priest, father Mat Connolly, who
has told her that the IRA will certainly kill Michael if he testifies. So he also tells Moira that he will not
testify. Then he tries to contact the Belfast police, but neither of the two police officers he knows is
available.
At the Ormonde Michael is unexpectedly visited by Father Mat Connolly, who now admits that the
boy Kev is his nephew. He again warns Michael not to go on, because his life is in danger. He also
begs him not to testify against the boy, who is, he says, only nineteen and not so bad.
Michael leaves the priest without saying anything. When he tells Andrea about the meeting, she
realizes that now the priest will report that Michael is going to identify the boy. She urges him to ring
the police again, but they are still out. They drive to the flat. While Andrea goes shopping, Michael
goes up to try the phone again. It is ringing when he turns the key, so he hurries in and forgets to
close the door. A man steps in after him, who says he is the gas man, and asks him if he is Michael
Dillon. When he answers in the affirmative two other men step in and raise their revolvers.