Chris Aslan’s Mosaic is an atmospheric novel underpinned by Christian spirituality. Rich in historic and cultural detail, the writing is visual and sensory, evoking the book’s first-century Middle Eastern setting in vivid technicolour. It’s also shot-through with a young woman’s trials and tragedies, and the hopes that bud in the wake of hearing about a miracle worker.
Tabita‘s tale opens with her “seething at how unfair life is” as she picks stones from dried lentils in the afternoon sun of her mountain village. It’s located in the "far north of our holy land”, with the foothills below “populated by foreign occupiers with their enormous vineyards, expensive villas, and drunken and idolatrous ways.” Her family is scarred by death, and Tabita feels fragmented, in despair that she might not be repaired. Then comes news of a Teacher who can heal. A Teacher whom some wonder might be a trickster, but a Teacher who himself counsels for people to “put our trust in God and not man, and to be aware of blind guides who lead others into destruction.” Taking portions of the Gospel of Mark and the Book of Acts as its sources, this is steeped in the author’s spirituality and knowledge of its setting.
"When a pot breaks, it's useless; at best there might be a shard that you can use to scoop grain. But what about a broken life? What about me? I feel so fragmented. Can I be repaired somehow? How do I live with the hate I feel towards those I'm supposed to be closest to? My life is in pieces and I don't know what to do..."
Will one tragic event leave friendship and family ties irrevocably broken? And how will a historical Middle Eastern mountain community deal with news of a miracle worker? Is he too good to be true?
Chris Aslan spent his childhood in Turkey and Lebanon, and much of his adult life in Central Asia. He is a writer, a lecturer on art and textiles, and a leader of tours to Central Asia. He is the author of Alabaster and Mosaic.
