ImmortalAuthor: Traci L. SlattonGenre: General Novels Publisher: Bantam Dell Released: January 29, 2008 |
A Review by Kim Lumpkin
04/13/2008
The child Luca Bastardo lives a hard but not unbearable life in the streets of Florence with two friends. Because of his beautiful features, he catches the eye of Silvano, a cruel and sadistic brothel owner who specializes in providing children to his patrons, and Luca is betrayed by one of his compatriots. Luca is hurt but not enraged; he understands that one does what one has to do to survive on the streets. He survives by the power of his imagination and his ability to transport his spirit out of his body:
Suddenly, miraculously, I was no longer in Silvano’s. All of Florence beyond the palazzo was laid out in front of me, as if I could simply step down into the city streets. But it wasn’t just my mind that went there, it was my whole self. The boundaries between physical and imaginary dissolved, and reality seeped into both realms. There was a supernatural vaulting, first of my imagination, then of my senses, and finally, upon seeing the pigments in the frescoes and hearing the soft voices of the choir, of my entire being into the monumental church of Santa Croce. The Raising of Drusiana in the Evangalist’s life was spread out before me. I had once crouched down in the pews near a priest telling the story to a Catechism class, telling how Drusiana had so love St. John and kept his commandments that the saint had resurrected her in the name of the Lord. It thrilled me that devotion like that could result in salvation, and I resolved that one day I, too, would demonstrate that kind of love. Perhaps not for a saint, because saints would have nothing to do with trash like me; perhaps not for a person, though I’d longed to be of noble station and belong to a family and wife of my own; perhaps only for the painting itself.
What happens to Luca and the other children in the brothel is grand guignol horrific, but it is essential to understanding the complex character he becomes, and adds weight to his struggle to find goodness in an evil world. One of his great comforts is the beauty of art, and he is naturally drawn to artists, including a childhood prodigy named Leonardo da Vinci, who keep his faith in humanity alive. And while he has a number of sexual dalliances, he also holds on to a dream of finding the one woman he is destined to love forever. And while Luca is the center of the book in every way, all of the other characters, male and female, are equally complex and well-drawn.
To say that Immortal is like a literary feast with something for everyone may seem like hyperbole, but with all the action, romance, history, and philosophy that fill its pages, it seems like the most apt description. No matter how you classify it, it is an impressive achievement and a highly engrossing and entertaining story.
© Copyright CultureCartel.com 04/13/2008
