Despite garnering critical accolades for his many fine novels, including his last, 2002’s Testament, about the life of Jesus, Nino Ricci has still lived somewhat under the long shadow cast by his first, and greatest, success, Lives of the Saints.
That need not be the case anymore. The Origin of Species, the symphony to Lives’ chamber piece, is Ricci’s greatest masterstroke to date. This is a novel that does so well, on so many levels, that it’s hard to know where to begin tallying up the riches. Read more…