Books like Silence by Shūsaku Endō

Candide: A Tale of Conviviality and Optimism in a Wretched World

A family sent to the Belgian Congo in 1959 to spread evangelical faith faces cultural clash, disaster, and eventual rebirth over three decades as the brutal realities of colonialism reshape their faith and lives.

An ageing butler’s reflective holiday reveals the quiet horrors of duty and the fragile nature of love within a grand English house in the 1950s.

Set during the French Indochina War, the novel follows British journalist Thomas Fowler, his mistress Phuong, and American idealist Pyle, whose ambitions and tragic fate reshape their lives amid political turmoil.

An intimate study of friendship and generational change in early twentieth‑century Japan, as a young man learns the painful secrets of his enigmatic teacher, Natsume Sōseki’s classic "Kokoro".

A Catholic priest, scarred by his past, navigates early 1930s Mexico while the church faces persecution, providing aid to impoverished peasants under the threat of ruthless police and betrayal.

Ben‑Hur chronicles the rise of Judah Ben‑Hur from noble youth to slave, set against the grandeur of the Roman Empire and the crucifixion of Jesus, blending epic adventure with historical and biblical themes.

James A. Michener’s sweeping history of Hawaii traces the islands’ geological birth, the arrival and influence of Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese and other immigrant groups, and the role of missionaries in shaping the islands’ modern culture.

In war‑torn 1898 China, a nameless maiden, Four‑Girl, discovers faith and identity as she navigates loyalty between her nation and her new Christian allies amid the Boxer Rebellion's violence.

The novelist Maurice Bendrix's love affair with his friend's wife, Sarah, had begun in London during the Blitz. But, out of the blue she ended the relationship. Years later he sends a private detective to follow Sarah and find out the truth.

Newlywed Emily Stone and her husband, Isaac, are young missionaries who have traveled from New England to Honolulu to share the Gospel with the Hawaiian natives. Gentle, adventurous, well-bred, and beautiful, Emily soon finds herself struggling with intense homesickness but remains determined to share her faith, and ignore her growing feelings for handsome Captain MacKenzie Farrow. Just as she begins to bond with the influential High Chiefess Pua and her daughter, Mahina, unexpected tragedy threatens to force her off the island. In a state of confusion, Emily makes a decision that could destroy everything she knows and loves. Three decades later, Sister Theresa comes to the islands as a missionary nurse and becomes acquainted with Captain Farrow's charming son, a powerful man who is instrumental in Hawaii's alliance with America. Theresa discovers that a dark curse is plaguing his family and the island's inhabitants, a curse that only Emily and Mahina can help her reverse.