Hadi is a young man with a full life in the middle of Milan’s fashion world. He’s not one of the star designers, but he’s one of the people those stars trust to turn their concepts into fabulous reality. But then one day he receives an urgent call from his family back in France. Hadi must drop everything and take on the role of ‘keeper’.
For generations, Hadi’s family has been the guardians of a secret. It has been the duty of unattached males in the family to act as keeper. Hadi is told little about what is expected of him. He is only told that he is to go to a small city in Algeria to take care of a man.
Hadi is expecting a frail old man, but when he arrives at the country estate he is surprised to find a man who appears to be not much older than himself, and no invalid. Over the course of the first few days, the full extent of the secret Hadi’s family has guarded is revealed. Hadi is descended from Jacob, the brother of Jesus, and his charge is none other than Judas.
Judas has lived for two thousand years, always cared for by one of Hadi’s family. His keepers have been his only companions, but each one eventually grows old and dies, while Judas is condemned to stay ageless. It’s hard not to become attached to his keepers, but Judas tries to guard his heart against the day when they will eventually pass.
It’s a lonely life for Hadi as well, far away from his friends and the glamour of his old life. His initial shock at finding out who his charge really was turns to tenderness at the burden Judas bears. Hadi is unabashedly gay, and over the months he finds he is drawn to the ancient soul. He seeks to comfort Judas with a deeper companionship than the apostle is prepared for.
Okay, there’s quite a bit to get past to get into this book, well beyond the Christian angle, which is why I’ve tagged it a fantasy. You’re going to have to suspend disbelief to read this book, but if you can get past the extraordinary setup, what you get is a rather well-written love story. Like any good love story, Hadi and Judas have to overcome some major obstacles in order to be together. There are some very touching tender moments in this story.
This was a difficult book to rate. Parts of it are very good, but in the end, the whole didn’t feel satisfying. The end itself leaves a few too many questions unanswered, and one of the key plot points, having to do with the specific ‘job’ of the keeper, needed a bit more elaboration. Also I don’t usually comment on covers, since they’re usually best ignored anyway, but this one is really bad. The two men pictured don’t match the image the text conjures up in the least.
The book may be purchased from Amazon
