El hijo del hombre. (Man’s Son)

Reviewed by Ana Katherine Bonfante, Berwyn, IL -- Críticas, 3/1/2008

Vidal,César.
Spain/U.S.: Suma de letras: Santillana. 2007. 502p. ISBN 978-958-704-608-3. $22.99. HISTORICAL FICTION

An award-winning author and columnist for the newspaper La Razón and a certified lawyer with doctorates in history, philosophy, and theology, Vidal has worked as program director for Spanish radio shows La Linterna and Camino del Sur since 2004. In this book, Vidal fictionalizes the life and accomplishments of Jesus from the perspective of his disciples. Protagonist and narrator Lucano, better known in the Bible as Luke, is assigned by Paulos, or Paul, the task of interviewing those who have met Jesus in order to document and preserve his life, miracles, and lessons. The result is an intriguing novel, with intricate characters developing within each chapter, that effectively introduces many of today’s well-known Bible stories. It narrates in detail the life of Jesus and those touched by him, keeping all characters’ names in the original Hebrew and incorporating many words and sayings from the Hebrew, Latin, and Greek languages. This mixture makes it difficult for the novice biblical reader not familiar with the languages to understand the text fully: the glossary is incomplete, and the reader is left guessing the meaning of words like sica, emunah, and berit milah. Also, the constant flipping from the chapters to the glossary slows down the reader. Overall, the book tells the story of a common man who, despite being a doctor and educated, feels unworthy and unprepared to document Jesus’s life. In the end, Lucano realizes that he is inspired and amazed by the tales that people have confided to him throughout Galilee, Judea, and Perea, and through his conversations, he finally puts together a comprehensive book. Highly recommended for all bookstores with an audience interested in historical biblical accounts.

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