by David Treuer
First published 2008
Dr. Apelles works alone in a vast archive, surrounded by ancient texts and forgotten manuscripts. When he uncovers a document written in a language that only he understands, the discovery disturbs him in ways he cannot explain. The manuscript has waited for years to be translated, and as Apelles begins his work, the text reveals the story of two young Indian lovers in a pristine, snow-covered forest. The scholar finds himself moving between his solitary world of dusty corridors and scholarly pursuit and the vivid landscape captured in the mysterious document. As he translates, the boundary between his own life and the love story he uncovers begins to blur. Treuer constructs two parallel narratives that circle around each other, connecting the isolated academic to the passionate relationship unfolding on the pages before him. The translation becomes more than scholarly work as Apelles confronts the emotional truths hidden within the ancient words.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: blurred-boundaries, parallel-narratives
Setting: India, Snow-Covered Forest
Period: Contemporary
315 pages · Paperback · Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group