PositiveThe New York Times Book ReviewIf The Sacrament is ostensibly a novel about a woman with secrets, it is more profoundly a consideration of silence ... As the novel’s narrator, Sister Johanna dutifully outlines the events of her life in a manner that, at best, takes on the ruminative, poetic quality of whispered confidence, and, at worst, is the painfully formal, stilted address of an elderly nun. Yet at all times Johanna’s presentation of herself seems riddled with evasion and doubt, leaving the reader to wonder about what she hasn’t said. Olafsson’s sparse, unadorned language intensifies an understanding that this story is indirectly about those who are voiceless ... Sister Johanna’s passivity can be frustrating, particularly in moments of crisis, when one longs for her simply to act, ignoring the consequences. There are, of course, times when Johanna does take matters into her own hands, but they occur only at the climaxes of the novel, and even here there’s a lack of fulfillment, a seemingly intentional lack of closure...Then again, Johanna’s passivity could be a comment on religious conspiracies of silence and the ultimate passivity of God in the face of suffering and abuse ... At times, however, the protagonist’s inertia slows the narrative pace to a shuffle ... Young Pauline’s discovery of and consequent grappling with her desire for Halla at a time when \'deviants\' are reviled is conveyed with wonderful, empathic understanding. Her friendship with Halla is fraught with unspoken longing, but it also allows some brief light to enter an otherwise dark story. The representation of continuing sexual repression, conveyed along with the suppression of justice for the survivors of abuse, had an excoriating effect on me as a reader, but this is to Olafsson’s credit rather than fault. He evokes the very real pain endured by those who suffer without recourse.
