After fighting in a war that killed his whole family, a resentful young man called Danat finds himself in a small town, where he makes the acquaintance of a carpenter. He agrees to become the carpenter’s apprentice but quits after a day, convinced that the older man is exploiting him. It’s not until the town is attacked by an unnamed enemy that Danat goes back to the carpenter for what turns out to be a profound and life-changing education.
The setting of Grace Zacaroli’s THE CARPENTER AND THE APPRENTICE—described on the dust jacket as a “spiritual adventure story”—is deliberately ambiguous. It takes place a very long time ago in what is presumably the Middle East. The characters wear tunics, fight with swords and daggers, and have biblical names like Solomon and Ezekiel. Broader references to the Abrahamic religions are plain to see. The eponymous carpenter, with his quiet, all-encompassing wisdom, is a Christlike prophet; the townspeople are his disciples. The mysterious enemy troops who appear repeatedly and commit senseless atrocities can be viewed as a sort of embodiment of evil.
The centerpiece of the book, and the story’s turning point, is a prolonged conversation between the carpenter and Danat—in which the carpenter gives a metaphysical lecture on “ultimate reality,” God, and the importance of achieving “Oneness.” His ideas, recalling Hinduism and other Eastern traditions, have the effect of expanding the novel’s spiritual framework. As he wanders a barren landscape following a second battle with enemy soldiers, Danat begins to see visions and hear voices. By the time he reconnects with the surviving townspeople, he has developed a sense of spiritual purpose that is confirmed by a series of lengthy discussions with his new companions.
Readers may find those discussions too lengthy. From about the midway point, THE CARPENTER AND THE APPRENTICE is heavy on spiritual and philosophical reflection while being light on drama. For scores of pages, the characters trudge over valleys and hills, sharing their family histories and their views on the carpenter’s doctrine. The prospect of yet another enemy attack is not sufficient to keep us fully engaged with the story, and just how much it's worth reading through will depend on the reader.
THE CARPENTER AND THE APPRENTICE's inquiry into spiritual matters is rich and nuanced, and Grace Zacaroli’s prose is strong throughout. On the other hand, the second half of the book—marked by long-winded ontological musings—arguably demands more patience than the average reader is willing to supply.
~ Michael Howard for IndieReader