Shadows of a Saint: A Review of Fabre’s Recital of the Dark Verses
Shadows of a Saint
A review of Fabre’s Recital of the Dark Verses
In Recital of the Dark Verses, Luis Felipe Fabre offers a historical fiction encapsulated in a satirically gothic
literary read. Fabre creates an inviting world, allowing the reader to join in as a trio of characters navigate a
journey through death and darkness. With an introduction written by Fabre’s translator Heather Cleary, we are given
a taste of the tale Fabre is about to weave: a back story to the magical narrative we as readers are about to enter.
But it is just that – a taste, a pretense, a quick rendering of a story that has yet to even begin. Cleary
provides an effortless translation – letting Fabre’s sarcastic give-and-take between characters become as alive as
the characters themselves. As if you are the fourth transporter of Fray Juan, you too give in to the banter, the witty
commentary, the mystical elements which surround them.
Recital begins eagerly, introducing us to a bailiff along with two recruited civil servants, Ferran and Diego, who are tasked with the impossible: secretly transporting the sacred body of Saint John of the Cross, Fray Juan, to his final resting place. Traveling only in the disguise of night, the three find themselves in peculiar and often frightening scenarios night after night. The reliable theme of darkness is given only brief moments of rest by the characters’ repartee, allowing the reader to take breaths in between devils, distance, and the incessant (yet innocent) nagging of Diego.
"Even dead did he cause trouble"
Upon pickup of the body, it was found blood still flowed as if the body itself were still very much alive. The aroma – apparently captivating to all who smelt it – had little to no effect on Ferran (who instead found the Saint to smell quite foul). Unimpressed by the verses and even more so with the saint himself, Ferran finds the spectacle of this transportation to be more of a sideshow than the miracle it is supposed to be. The night casting tricks and a haunting saint, the three men must be wary of the scent-drunk towns people, who are aberrantly drawn to the aroma of Fray Juan and in turn will stop at nothing just to get a piece of him.
"…trust that while finding your way in the night you will stumble upon the truth of these verses."
While Cleary does the translating, it is Fabre who transports the reader back in time. Fabre uses Saint John of the Cross’ own poetical work to reinforce chapters, giving readers a peek into the work of the dead Saint. The Saint’s poems intertwine with the modern words, propelling the story forward while allowing readers a glimpse of the deceased Saint’s own perspective. With peeks into the history of Fray Juan intertwined with the journey which could have been, Fabre ascends beyond historical fiction into near magical realism territory.
"You can’t see that you can’t see"
Katie Lilljedahl | 2021-04-11