First published 1995
Fishermen pull a drowning stranger from the Mediterranean waters surrounding their peaceful island. This castaway carries dangerous ideas that challenge everything the islanders believe about faith and authority. Meanwhile, a young girl who survived abandonment by nursing from wolves roams the island's wilderness. She knows nothing of human society or the delicate balance between religious and political power. The girl's complete innocence makes her the perfect subject for a theological experiment that will test the very foundations of belief. But when the Spanish Inquisition arrives on the island, what began as intellectual debate transforms into deadly persecution. The castaway's foreign philosophy and the feral child's pure nature become weapons in a struggle where asking the wrong questions can mean death. Two outsiders who never chose to be part of this world must now navigate the treacherous waters between truth and survival.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, adventure, fantasy, academic
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, outsiders
Setting: Mediterranean, Spain, Island
Period: Inquisition
284 pages · Paperback · Black Swan