A brutal and very powerful introduction to the story.

With descriptions of brutal cruelty I found this a disturbingly powerful start to this story. The already vivid portrayal of some of the characters, as well as the immediately engaging quality of the writing, has made me want to carry on reading. I now want learn more about 17th century Japan and the persecution of Christians ... this is a period in that country's history I know almost nothing about, but I would love to be given the opportunity to discover more!