The cleverness of this page-turner begins with its title, Nicked. It triples as the book's central action, the object of the theft, and the humble monk whose dream sets the chain of events in motion.
National Book Award-winning author M.T. Anderson (Feed; The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge), making his adult debut, sets the stage with eerily modern elements for this 11th-century tale set in Italy and based on true events. Invaders and a pox are rapidly spreading throughout the land, making some people gravely ill, and the rest fearful of going out. This is certainly the case in Bari, where Nicephorus serves in the Benedictine monastery.
As the novel opens, the Archbishop of Bari has instructed Nicephorus and his brothers to pray to St. Nicholas for healing and guidance. Nicephorus has a dream, and the abbot conveniently interprets the dream as the saint's wish to have his remains moved from Myra to Bari. Nicephorus thinks the abbot's made quite a leap of logic. He goes about his day and meets a Tartar named Tyun, the "saint hunter." Tyun's boasting contrasts comically with Nicephorus's compulsion for truth-telling. Soon the two form an unlikely alliance as part of the Norman-led team that attempts to reach Myra and pilfer the saint's bones.
Anderson humorously exploits the blind spots of power-hungry leaders, as well as the polar-opposite qualities of Tyun and Nicephorus amidst Nicephorus's growing attraction to Tyun. But alongside the humor and tension, Anderson plumbs questions of what constitutes as faith, and the circularity of human history. The tale ends with a delectable twist and a tantalizing possibility of further relic hunts. --Jennifer M. Brown, reviewer