The voices of silence ~ Bel Mooney

The voices of silence ~ Bel Mooney

The novel “The voices of silence” by Bel Mooney is set in the country of Romania during the last months of the regime of the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. The story is told from the viewpoint of Flora Popescy, a thirteen-year old school girl who lives with her parents Rodika and Constantin in the capital city of Bucharest.

In chapters one to three we are given an immediate insight into the harshness of life under an oppressive government. Flora’s family lives in great poverty.

We realise from Flora’s dream that even bananas are a delicacy, and a seven-year-old boy requested a banana for his big birthday present.

Flora’s family lives in a twenty-story block, which was due to have new lifts fitted but as the government ran out of money they left the shafts on view. Between each block there’s only rough terrain as there is no gardens or even grass. When rain falls puddles collect easily, as there is no drainage system just unfin...