Next Year in Jerusalem

Short SynopsisNext Year in Jerusalem (approx.160.000 words broken up into 23 chapters) Set during the time of the Bar Kochkba rebellion in Judea (AD132-136), the novel is the stor yof Marcus Gallus tribune of the 10th Legion and his journey of faith from believing in the gods of Rome to questioning the real meaning of life, and eventually coming to understand who he really is. There are three main characters that interact with Marcus. Esther ha Levi is a Jewish woman who challenges his beliefs and eventually becomes his lover. Rabbi Shlomo is the only Rabbi in the village of Gophna. He looks after Esther and her family because their parents died when they were young and he acts as a mentor to the young boys of the village. Gaius Pompeius is a centurion in the 10th Legion and Marcus's boyhood friend. He is less well educated than his friend; coming from simple farming stock, and though he is Marcus's friend he sometimes resents the fact that Marcus comes from a well known patrician family. The characters change throughout the book and there are many unexpected twists and turns to the plot. The 3rd act of the novel sees the characters overcome obstacles and the final scenes are resolved in an unexpected way. Conflict in the plot takes many forms. Primarily conflict comes from the clash of two different cultures. The two main protagonists Marcus Gallus, tribune of the 10th Legion and Esther ha Levi struggle with their feelings for each other, their different beliefs and the prejudices of their different peers. Marcus has conflict with Gaius Pompeius who is fiercely patriotic to Rome and the emperor, whereas Marcus questions the oppression that the Roman legions are putting the people of Judea under. Marcus constantly questions Esther and Rabbi Shlomo about Jewish beliefs, because he doesn't know what he truly believes and what the purpose of life is. The underlying theme is that true love and strong moral beliefs can overcome adversity despite the obstacles.