ALEPH

Paulo flees a crisis of faith by embarking on a book tour on the continent-spanning Trans-Siberian Railway. Narrator Mark Bramhall’s deep voice expresses the surrealism of Paulo’s mysterious encounter with a young Turkish violinist, Hilal, whom Paulo, in a past life as a monk, tortured and killed during the Spanish Inquisition. Paulo’s and Hilal’s sensual and violent lives intersect in a mystic place where the present and the past are one—the Aleph—a place where Paulo seeks her forgiveness. Bramhall delivers the story with honesty and affection. Coelho’s rich, poetic book, like his popular earlier work THE ALCHEMIST, also about parallel worlds, is ideal for audio listening. K.P. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2012]