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TLC Tour Review: A Hundred Silent Ways by Mari Jojie

Title: A Hundred Silent Ways
Author: Mari Jojie
Year published: 2021
Category: Adult fiction
Pages: 246 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5

Location: (my 2022 Google Reading map)USA (CA) and Philippines

SummaryHow do you trust and let yourself be comforted by the idea that the sun and the moon give out equal brilliance?

On the brink of a crumbling marriage, Kate Pineda-McDowell runs away from the only life she has ever known—straight into the heart of the Philippines where her estranged father lives. As she waits for her connecting flight from Tokyo to Manila, she meets Liam Walker, whose disquieting stares express deeper things than his reluctant words. Unbeknownst to both, their chance meeting circles back to a closely linked past that holds little hope for new beginnings.

Shortly after arriving in Manila, Kate finds herself drawn to seek out Liam. In a span of a few magical days, what began as a spark ignites into an electric affair that compels Liam to let someone into his silent world while Kate confronts her heartbreaking sorrows. But falling for each other means opening old wounds and revealing their most intimate yearnings.

Review:  The author of this novel lives in Oxnard, which is just 40 minutes south of me and she set part of the novel there as well so that's fun. 

I like the main character of this novel and the author did a good job of making her someone that I sympathized with her. Kate is having a rough time in her personal life and fleeing to Manilla is supposed to fix all that. However, meeting Liam there just complicates things. She seems to be a woman who does what is expected of her rather than what she wants. I am pleased that things work out for her in the end.

The story took me quite a while to get into, about half the book. So for me, the first half wasn't great, but the second half kept me going to the end. I feel like she found her rhythm in the second half, the characters became more real and deep, and the story gelled. 

I do like that one of the main characters is deaf, that Kate learned sign language, and that the deaf community is featured in this novel. All in all, I liked the book, but didn't love it. 

Challenges for which this counts:
  • Literary Escapes--Philippines


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