The Convent by Panos Karnezis August 2010 LTER

Panos Karnezis's The Convent--I don't want to give away the plot even though it's pretty apparent where Karnezis' is headed by page 30 of The Convent. Let's just say that when a baby shows up in a suitcase at a convent that's out in the middle of nowhere; its only inhabitants are a handful of nuns; and no one comes to visit or goes to town with much frequency, that sort of narrows the field of likely suspects. Turns out the book really isn't about finding the parents of the baby, which makes more understandable the fact that none of the characters, with one exception, seem even remotely interested in establishing who the biological parents are. It's really about taking "virtue" to the point where it is no longer virtue but something else entirely. In it you get to see how two different female characters resolve very real moral dilemmas. It's a philosophically driven work that plays on their ideas about love, respectability and duty. It is melodramatic in some places but stylistically strong overall. I would recommend it, but it is not a light read.

This story about a foundling baby boy left on the doorstep of an isolated Spanish convent is a compelling and atmospheric read. The book is really more of a series of character studies that highlights the underlying tensions in a community of cloistered women. The reader will have no trouble figuring out the "miracle" of the the child's birth, but since this isn't really a plot-driven novel, the lack of mystery is less relevant than the author's ability to paint a vivid picture of the isolated life in the convent.

Not really an enjoyable read, at only 200 pages it is nevertheless a quick one. Wonderful use of language and a lyric style made this a four star read for me.