| Set in the safe and
detached world of a religious retreat, "Triduum at the
Novitiate" explores those inner, and sometimes
disturbing emotions we all harbour.
The carefully tended gardens of
the novitiate, serene in the sunshine, are the scene of
an apparently random, brutal sexual attack on one of the
Brotherhood. The sanctuary is violated, its sanctity
destroyed, and the Brother is left traumatised.
Why has this happened? Who is
to blame?
Can the highly charged
spiritual world of the novitiate come to terms with this
horrifying physical assault on one of its members?
The book is a beautifully
written account of the world inside such retreats, with
its total reliance on ritual and religion, but the book
also exposes those deep and dark underlying currents of
sexual desire and abuse.
This is an adult book, dealing
with adult themes. It is at times shocking, at times
erotic, and always challenging and provocative.
It can be read as a novel, a "whodunnit?"
or as an allegory - you decide.
|
