Into the Unbounded Night
by Mitchell James Kaplan
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Pub Date Sep 01 2020 | Archive Date Aug 19 2020
BooksGoSocial | Regal House Publishing
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Description
Advance Praise
"In Into the Unbounded Night, Mitchell James Kaplan offers a rich rendering of war and humanity in first century Rome -- of tradition and loss, and the transformative power of healing and collective memory to find one's way home."
- Nichole Bernier, Boston Globe bestselling author of The Unfinished Work Of Elizabeth D
"Mitchell James Kaplan is the gloriously talented writer of this dramatic, intense story of conflicting emperors, slaves, priests and exiles in a first century world whose roots and traditions are increasingly torn apart by the brutal rule of Rome. Men and women search for belief and reason, out of which will emerge a new Judaism after the destruction of Jerusalem's Temple as well as the early beginnings of Christianity. A writer of enormous scope, compassion and poetry, Kaplan has written several of the most compelling characters you will meet in the pages of a book. Into the Unbounded Night sweeps over you like a succession of huge waves. It is truly a major novel."
- Stephanie Cowell, American Book Award recipient, author of Claude and Camille: A Novel Of Monet
"Kaplan's prose is so rich and agile I felt I was breathing the air of these ancient places, and his evocation of character is no less palpable. Fully embodied and driven by ambition, grief, the clear-eyed desire for truth, and fierce maternal love, these characters plunge, march, and stumble toward their fascinating and entangled destinies."
- Marisa de los Santos, New York Times bestselling novelist of I'll Be Your Blue Sky and award-winning poet
"I'm a big fan of historical fiction when it's as good as Mitchell James Kaplan's Into the Unbounded Night. Vividly imagined, Into the Unbounded Night pulls the reader along with beautiful prose, strong characters and a wonderfully realized story."
- Heidi W. Durrow, New York Times best-selling author of The Girl Who Fell From The Sky, winner of the PEN/Bellwether Prize
"A beautiful, informative book. It was gripping throughout, the research never overwhelms the story, but is always part of it. [The] writing is lyrical and evocative of time and place. All the characters are real and interesting. Loved it!"
- Martin Fletcher, National Jewish Book Award winner, author of Promised Land
"From the mystical lore of Albion to the Roman siege and destruction of Jerusalem, Kaplan's meticulous research and evocative writing meld seamlessly to create a vivid, textured, and richly imagined story."
- Beth Hoffman, New York Times and International bestselling author of Saving Ceecee Honeycutt and Looking for Me
"Set in Rome and Judea after the crucifixion of Jesus, Mitchell James Kaplan's finely crafted and intense second novel delves into the minds and hearts of truly captivating characters. An excellent read."
- Eva Stachniak, winner of the Canadian First Novel Award, author of The Chosen Maiden
"Sensually provocative, verbally sharp and critically witted, Mitchell James Kaplan's Into the Unbounded Night brings to life the tumultuous birth of Judeo-Christian monotheism in this intimately woven narrative brimming with righteous and riotous characters striving for survival and transcendence across the ravished landscapes of Judea, the Roman Empire, and Britannia."
- Jessica Maria Tuccelli, an Okra Pick winner of the Southern Independent
Booksellers Alliance for her debut novel, Glow "Kaplan weaves an intricate literary tapestry to create a poetic exploration of early Judeo-Christian and Roman history. He builds a diverse yet connected cast of characters whose encounters inspire timeless self-examination and advance the course of history. An engrossing work not easily forgotten."
- Therese Walsh, critically acclaimed author of The Last Will Of Moira Leahy and The Moon Sisters, founder of the literary blog, Writer Unboxed
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9781646030026 |
PRICE | $16.95 (USD) |
PAGES | 262 |
Links
Featured Reviews
I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.
I’ve been waiting for another novel by Mitchell James Kaplan since reading the superb By Fire, By Water, so I was very happy to have the opportunity to review Into the Unbounded Night.
Set in the time of early Christianity, the time of Nero and Vespasian, the Great Fire in Rome, and the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, this novel incorporates a lot of history and a lot of diverse religious thought.
There are numerous characters whose lives we follow. The readily recognizable historical figures (Paul, Stephen, Luke, Vespasian, Poppaea, Nero) have only walk-on roles but they influence the protagonists in ways large and small. And they ground the reader in the time period. The multiple protagonists are not the larger-than-life people of history but the “common” people.
First, we meet Aislin, a young Briton, who survived the massacre of her people by the Romans. Steeped in the belief system of her world, Aislin makes her way to Rome for one purpose, vengeance. Overwhelmed by what she finds there, she struggles to survive and to understand the new world. Inadvertently, she achieves some of the vengeance she sought.
Another main character is Yohanan, a Pharisee in Jerusalem, dedicated to study of Jewish tradition and to peace. He’s caught up in a time of Roman occupation and civil unrest that upend his life but the violence and personal loss cannot change his fundamental beliefs.
The reader watches these characters and others grow up and grow old. Or die. Many of the characters die, often brutally, which got to be a bit much. Over time, they all interconnect. It was interesting to see how disparate lives can intertwine and influence each other; however, it was also emotionally distancing. As a reader I felt that I was skirting over the surface of their lives rather than being drawn into them.
Kaplan writes beautifully. This is a deeply meditative novel infused with questions about life, religion, death, and sin. It’s a hard novel to read when the world seems to be falling apart yet again, but there is something hopeful in the timelessness of the struggle and the unanswerableness of the questions.
I enjoyed the perspective of this novel and found it quite different to the many other novels I’ve read set in Ancient Rome.. the main POV is of a woman Aislinn, a young Briton and follows her through a turbulent life. This was beautifully written although I have to say I’m not that fond of the author’s choice to use the present tense . I enjoyed the almost ‘magical’ feel to the book I. Places and felt it was very much in keeping with the feelings and beliefs of the time,.