Don Delillo is a well-respected author in the literary world, particularly for his complex, philosophical writing. He has maintained his flourishing career throughout the decades, publishing question-provoking novels, like Underworld and White Noise, regularly. He is not your typical writer, instead he tells his stories in an unclear way, that makes your head spin around. His latest novel, The Silence, published in October 2020 is no exception as it delves into current issues that readers may not even realize affect them deeply. You must pay close attention if you want to take the real message away from it.

The Silence takes place on Super Bowl Sunday 2022, when a strange technological outage occurs. Televisions, phones, and the rest of the devices that everyone has become so accustomed to are disabled and no one has any way to figure out why. Delillo’s novel begins with couple Jim Kripps and Tessa Berens flying back to New York from their vacation in Europe, as the outage wreaks havoc and causes their plane to execute an emergency landing. In the meantime, back in NYC, waiting for Jim and Tessa, couple Diane Lucas and Max Stenner sit with their past student Martin awaiting the superbowl kickoff. As they sit in anticipation, their television, phones, and all methods of communication black out, leaving the three of them sitting in complete uncertainty. In a condensed amount of time, Delillo paints a picture of what can happen when people are forced to take a step back from the technology they have become heavily dependent on.

        Now, I am always one for a novel that leaves readers wondering and gives them room to add a little imagination to their reading experience, but Delillo takes it too far. Eventually, the five individuals are brought together, after Jim and Tessa survive the plane landing and walk through the empty streets to arrive at Diane and Max’s apartment. This novel, although eventful in the first few chapters as the world’s state shifts, stagnates in the middle and resorts to descriptions of conversations about Albert Einstein between Diane and Martin and Max staring at his blank television screen, trying to bring it back to life. The conversations seem forced and uncertainty lingers in the air as the five characters are left wondering what is happening around them and what the rest of New York and the world are experiencing. Max drinks his well-aged alcohol, Diane instigates pointless conversation with Martin to distract herself, while Jim and Tessa nap in the bedroom. Throughout, it seems that they are “puzzled” about how to interact without technology. Delillo not only portrays how the black out affects his characters, but brings in outside elements as well when Jim and Tessa are walking the streets. They observe “a man talking to his phone, shaking it, cursing it” further bringing this idea of technological addiction to life.

        This novel is nothing but timely, considering these days people are heavily dependent on technological devices, such as phones and computers. There have been recent movies, like The Social Dilemma, and other publications that call awareness to this dependence, but it is still greatly present in everyday life. This novel is another literary work calling attention to the awkwardness and lack of connection that appears when we can’t hide behind the devices that we are all too accustomed to. For crying out loud, the television is out throughout the whole novel, but Max sits there talking to himself as if he is watching the game in real time. “De-fense. De-fense. De-fense,” he says to himself as he stares at the blank screen, struggling to initiate conversation with others. On the other hand, “Diane whispered to Martin that there was no reason why they couldn’t converse,” which contradicts the way Max chooses to cope with the current dilemma. Delillo is trying to show that even those with close relationships struggle to communicate when forced to do so without technology as a means of escape or distraction. His writing is complex and slightly confusing in order to emphasize that addiction is a tricky thing, that is not black and white and everyone handles differently. He is not one to give answers and will often make you wonder “why is this important?” It is up to you to try and understand what he wants you to take away from his work.

        The most frustrating part of this novel is that there is no resolution. We never figure out what caused the outage, if Jim and Tessa return to their home, or what ultimately happens to all of them. This uncertainty is what makes this both an interesting and upsetting novel, but your enjoyment or disappointment will greatly depend on the type of reader that you are. If you want a novel that you can take whatever message you want away from it, I would definitely give The Silence a read, but if you're someone who wants absolute clarity, this novel is not for you. Delillo’s writing and message are beautiful and insightful, but he does in fact leave you with a million questions and very few answers.