THE BOOK FAIR

The allegorical novel takes place during the 1st Century in Judea Capta under Roman rule.  The novel centers on two brothers, one who seeks power, who bears no conscious and commits acts of unleashed, unmitigated evil, and the younger brother (a minor character) who suffers visions and gathers power through religion. 

The very well written, descriptively visual novel contains graphic imagery of cruelty and brutality.  The plot flows quickly as the fictional elder brother practices deceit and viciousness throughout his childhood.  Later in adulthood, the brother spins a web of duplicity and treachery as he climbs the political ladder in Herod’s court.

Zeldis based the novel on three interwoven themes:  the existence of evil, the destruction of Judea and the Jewish population, and the rise of Christianity that gave birth to anti-Semitism and the relentless persecution of Jews.  The title, “Brothers”, represents both Judaism and Christianity and, Zeldis offers a twist on the origins of Christianity.