As you've probably noticed, I'm quite easily distracted, especially by books. This month, my eye was caught by Robert Harris' latest (bright red) novel, 'Conclave', and its excellent reviews. "Well," I thought "it's not got that many pages..."
As you might expect, 'Conclave' is the story of a fictional pope's election. Like its secular counterparts, this election is divisive and hard fought, so it takes a strong, steady hand to keep proceedings on track. This unenviable task falls to Cardinal Lomeli, Dean of the College of Cardinals, who finds himself caught up in the machinations of the four leading candidates: the Italian traditionalist Tedesco, the liberal Bellini, the imposing African Adeyemi and the ambitious Canadian Tremblay. While the world waits for the white smoke that signals a decision, over 100 cardinals pray and plot behind the conclave's sealed doors. But even here they find they cannot escape the material truths of human frailty, weakness and sin...
Mr Harris has a reputation for complex political thrillers, so, while I was curious about this book, I was also a bit daunted by it. As it turned out, I needn't have worried. I struggled to put this book down and found it, for want of a better phrase, an easy read.
From what I've heard, I suspect that many of Mr Harris' other books are more challenging, so if you're a fan of his work, this may not be enough of a toughie for you. For me, there was something of the Dan Brown holiday read about it and I found it entertaining and just believable enough. Often these things are about expectations, however, so if you're expecting a hard-nosed, complex story, you may be disappointed. If you're after a tense yet entertaining read, you probably won't be.
Despite its setting, this isn't really a book for those with a traditional view of religion. The most senior religious characters are riddled with pride and hypocrisy, or consumed by doubt. A more liberal view of faith in the modern world is favoured, culminating in the slightly weak ending. But this wouldn't be such an easy (or short) read if it took on the more complex issues of faith in the modern world.
Overall, I really enjoyed 'Conclave' and hope to read it again when it comes out in paperback. It's a great holiday read, a page-turner, and (for me at least) the encouragement I need to read more by Robert Harris.
Now, what next...?
