The Silence is a short novel written by Don DeLillo and published in 2020.
Set in 2022, the novel follows a quintet of characters gathering together to have dinner at a Super Bowl match in a Manhattan apartment, only for a power and technological outage to occur.
Tropes found in the novel:
- 20 Minutes into the Future: The novel is set in 2022 and was published in 2020. However, probably due to the proximity of the year gap, there are not many differences in terms of the setting, technology, fashion or environment.
- Call-Back: There are several call-backs to a lot of DeLillo's previous works:
- At the novel's beginning, Jim and Tessa are sitting in an aeroplane and waiting for it to take off. This is a reference to the opening scene of Players, where it teases the key characters, themes and plot of the novel.
- Prior to the power outage, the characters were awaiting for their guests to have dinner and watch a Super Bowl football match. The football game is a direct reference to End Zone.
- Extremely Short Timespan: The novel took place within a single day.
- No Ending: The novel ends with no resolution regarding the power and technological outage.
