The Fountains of Silence: A Novel

Puri states that she wishes the orphanage could do more for the older children, and Sister Hortensia responds that most of these children are “children of degenerates” and “[i]t is better to have no parents than the wrong parents” (225). She reassures Puri, however, that she and the others “are grateful for [Puri’s] tender heart” and her desire for the orphans “to have an opportunity” (226). 

Sister Hortensia sends Puri on another errand in the file room, where Puri reads more letters that date back nearly 20 years. Most have a polite, cautious tone, but all are from concerned parents hoping the hospital has made a mistake about the death of their children—or at the least, that the hospital will reveal where their children are buried. 

Mrs. Matheson apologizes to Ana for not recognizing her at the fashion show. Her graciousness and respect moves Ana to tears. Daniel’s mother also seems emotional, and she attempts to move beyond the awkward moment by asking for Ana’s opinion on a restaurant called Lhardy. Ana is desperate to visit this restaurant, and she gives it a “glowing recommendation.” Daniel’s mother asks her to make a reservation for the family.

Daniel returns to the camera shop, and Miguel tells Daniel that “images without explanation are easily misinterpreted” (233), though he admires Daniel’s intention to give every resident of Vallecas of whom he took pictures a copy of their photographs.

Daniel asks his advice about getting a picture of the Guardia Civil, explaining that “[t]hey’re so menacing, like human crows, pecking at the population. The right image could make a real statement about authority and power in Spain” (233). Miguel tells him that photographing the Guardia Civil could land Daniel in jail and warns him against trying.

Daniel and his parents go to dinner, and Daniel realizes that he doesn’t miss Texas: “His genetic connection to Spain feels deeply inscribed” (235). Daniel’s mother interrupts his thoughts, and she tells him that she has been sick.

Continuing the conversation, Daniel’s mother tells him that she had a miscarriage. She says one of the reasons they came to Spain was to help her heal and feel better. Daniel tells his mother that she shouldn’t keep her feelings bottled up.

When he gets back to the hotel, he has a series of messages: a note of thanks from Rafa, an invitation from Nick, a job offer from Ben, and a message from Ana saying good night, using the code name she gave herself, Tom Collins. The final message is a telegram from his former girlfriend, Laura Beth, apologizing for her behavior and saying she wants to come to Madrid.

Ben comes to Daniel’s room and asks Daniel to be his photographer in Barcelona on Monday. Daniel “tries to act casual” (241), but he is elated by the invitation. As he and Ben chat, Lorenza knocks and enters the room without any invitation. She stares at the photos and tells Daniel he should take pictures of some flamenco dancers. Once again, Lorenza reminds Dan of Laura Beth, in both “[h]er beckoning gaze” and “how her every expression looks staged, like she’s posing for a camera” (243).

Lorenza tells Ana that Daniel is going to call the manager and complain about her. Ana quickly goes to his room, and Daniel explains the truth as he and Ana chat. He tells Ana that she was right about his parents and shows Ana his pictures.

When he asks for her help contextualizing the photos, Ana says what is happening in Spain is “impossible for outsiders to understand. There is a tension that exists between history and memory […] Some of us are desperate to remember, while others are desperate to forget” (246). 

Puri has been given a special assignment: working once a week at the maternity clinic. There, she is disturbed by her conversation with a young, unwed mother; she doesn’t understand why the woman does not show “remorse for her carnal sins” (258). While searching for supplies, Puri finds a dead baby in a refrigerated cabinet.

Rafa and Fuga wait for Daniel to pick them up. Rafa fears he will freeze in the face of danger, as he did when they took his father, but he also believes that with Fuga, he will have a chance to redeem himself. As he sees Daniel’s car on the horizon, “an overwhelming sense of joy emerges. The voices in his head, the questions—they are his own. They are not voices from the shadows, creeping forth to taunt him” (251).

Daniel has brought Nick with him, which upsets Julia. Daniel has brought food, but Rafa does not allow Fuga to eat. One of the beggar children explains that an empty stomach makes it “easier for the doctor to sew him back together if the bull tears holes in him” (253). Rafa agrees, but notes that at the kind of event they’re going to, no surgeons or doctors will be standing by to help.

Daniel takes more pictures and thinks about the book he read on bullfighting the night before. Many years ago, when bulls were “revered as mythological gods,” the matadors who “stood before the bulls and presented their life for sacrifice were considered high priests” (253). Bullfighting thus symbolized closeness with God and unity with death.

Ana cleans Daniel’s suite, thinking of all the private things the hotel staff knows about their guests. She forms a mental picture of Daniel from the way he leaves his room: He leaves out an expensive pen, which indicates that he is trusting; she also notices a book, which he reads before going to sleep, next to his bed.

Before she leaves, Ana looks at the photographs once more and realizes she can provide more context for Daniel by captioning the photos. As Ana retrieves a piece of paper to write on, she sees the telegram from Laura Beth, torn to pieces in the trash.