The Melancholy of Untold History: A Novel

I fell in love with this magical story right away. Although I was expecting little from a first time novelist-historian, I was greatly surprised by the beauty and delicacy of his story-telling. Not since Scheherazade kept the king spellbound by her stories, has such interesting narratives been woven.

Unfortunately, mid-book, the spell was broken. This reader became confused about the characters, the story and the history of their homeland. On the surface, a noted historian is wracked by grief at the death of his wife. He turns to history and a historian colleague to find comfort and resolution in the many versions of the stories which swirl around in bogus accounts and semi-truths. As he tries to make sense and a comprehensive historical narrative, history seems to come forward in time to tell us that conflicts are deep and repetitive. Once injured, can an insult, slight or wound be resolved over time or are we condemned to suffer from them again and again?