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33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Of love, faith, and betrayal--heaven and hell on earth., 19 Jan 2003
This haunting and ironic novel takes us into the heart, mind, and family history of a dedicated priest living in Rome, giving the reader a rare look at his insecurities, the internal battles he faces, and the constant choices he must make. Father Leo Newman is an expert in ancient scrolls from the Dead Sea. Called to investigate a new, intact scroll in Jerusalem, he makes the startling discovery that this scroll is a record of what happened immediately after the crucifixion, as witnessed by Judas and Paul. Its transcription and publication will call into question the accuracy of the more familiar gospels, all of which were written later than this scroll, and which have, until now, been the underpinnings of Christianity and its traditions. Mawer takes us into the mind of Father Leo as he battles the demons of doubt unleashed by his discovery, and other, entirely mundane demons represented by his love for Madeleine Brewer, the wife of a diplomat. As the novel spirals from the present to the very near past and into the more distant past of Father Leo's childhood during World War II and back again, we see fascinating parallels between the betrayals Father Leo commits, and those of his mother, and of Judas. The roles of Mary Magdalen, Madeleine, and Magda, all of whom even share a name, continue these intriguing parallels and expand the novel's themes. As Mawer investigates the many kinds of love--love of mankind, love of God, and romantic love--he also shows us the multiplicity of threats to these kinds of love, and the difficulty of facing personal challenges armed only with black and white arguments. Father Leo, an honest man doing the best he can to be true to his church, is, strictly speaking, guilty of betraying both individuals and the church, while Judas, usually thought of as the most villainous of betrayers, possesses a core of honesty here which calls into question the traditional view of him in later gospels. This tour de force of a novel is a stimulating and thought-provoking study of love and truth, connecting a modern man with a much vilified disciple and raising the big question of whether a long-range good can come from a short-term betrayal and whether the price is worth it.
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by Simon Mawer
by Simon Mawer
by Simon Mawer
by Raymond Khoury
by Rodolphe Kasser
