MANUSCRIPT FOUND IN ACCRA

In 1099, in the ancient city of Jerusalem, the townspeople await the imminent invasion of the Crusaders. Fearing the mayhem and bloodshed to follow, a group of city dwellers assembles to hear the words of the wise man known as the Copt. The Copt provides a series of platitudes meant to assuage the fears of those gathered. Listening to Jeremy Irons makes one forget everything but his voice. This works well for Coelho’s latest, since the novel offers little in story. Coelho’s language is lush, and his rhythmic archaic sentence structures ring true to the period, but were it not for the gravitas of Jeremy Irons’s impeccable performance, listeners would be left feeling unsatisfied, as if a feast had been promised and only an appetizer served. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2013]