This story spans forty years in the wilderness, so to speak, starting when Michael Mercurio is an adolescent, and concludes when he finally yields to love by offering it. The surrender is both physical and spiritual, and is meant to be understood as one and the same. The idea, slightly Platonic, turns on the embrace of empathy, and on a spiritual principle that accepts only Good as a force. As Michael continuously confronts evil, he has a hard time reconciling these episodes with higher doctrine that declares them merely false appearances. This theme extends through the entire book, integrating a yearning for inner peace with a hope for the world.
