The Canticle of Ibiza by Justin Kurian
There’s a passage in author Justin Kurian’s ambitious novel The Canticle of Ibiza where John, who has abandoned his life in New York as a high-flying financial whiz to seek answers on the mystical island of Ibiza, Spain, explains to a budding love interest, Diana, how he ditched his previous rich and elitist lover because she had no true feelings for him — just a desire for money and society.
Diana’s reaction? She smacks him in the mouth. “Maybe you should have considered her feelings,” she adds.
Oh, consider the feelings of others? That smack — and Diana’s comment — is worth pondering in this all-encompassing work of passion, reflection and discovery — sprinkled with magic, mystery, a magnificent venue and most unusual cast of characters you’ll deeply care about.
Man’s Journey to Amend Guilt-Laden Past
Diana was correct, as Kurian writes, “Perhaps he had become imperceptive to the feelings of others during these last, emotionally parched years of his life.”
And isn’t that the root of our story right there? If John considered the feelings of others, maybe he never would have been in this mess with his life in shambles. Maybe he never would have sold out to the power, prestige and wealth of a fast-track hedge-fund career and, in so doing, squash the pact he made with his dear college friend and mentor Gunther to launch an academic journal for the good of improving society. It was a noble goal, but John’s U-turn leaves Gunther with nothing but a strategic plan and crushed dream.
However, in the spirit of “I’m mad as hell and not going to take it anymore,” John attempts to rectify his biggest mistake in life of leaving Gunther at the entrepreneurial altar. He is determined to find Gunther, whom he hasn’t seen in 15 years, confront his demons, and make amends for his guilt-laden past.
“I was deeply ashamed about my job. Our upcoming project was our altruistic dream. But yours truly toiled at a billion-dollar hedge fund, fattening multimillionaires while dedicating zero time to any spiritual or charitable causes. I committed heresy.”
1988, Ibiza — Not Your Ordinary Island
John travels to Ibiza, where Gunther supposedly has settled — and the fun begins.
Kurian sets us up for the Ibiza experience in his very first sentence, where John parks at a local café: “The waiter wore a magenta speedo and sparkling silver wig.”
As readers will discover, that here in the year 1988, Ibiza is not your ordinary tropical island. Sure, it has beautiful beaches, scenic overlooks and lush gardens and forests. But it is inhabited primarily by a Bohemian population of artists who have seceded from conventionality in life — and in their art.
They have shed their outwardly successful pasts in Europe and America in exchange for a looser, freer lifestyle where norms, possessions, perceptions, and often clothing are secondary. Now these denizens are part of bizarre cults, hidden villas, hippie communes, and unadulterated decadence. It’s a place where “your old self gradually dissolves.”
Eccentric and Complex Cast of Characters
John decides to get the lay of the land before coming off as a “private investigator” seeking his lost friend. Along the way he meets, among others: Angela, an elderly beauty with unclear intentions who introduces him to many of Ibiza’s people and places; Andre, a sculptor being held emotionally hostage by his ex-wife; Klav, a writer with heart but little talent; and, of course, the lovely Diana, who had been a DJ.
The narrative is driven by John, a good person, very smart, well-educated and well-versed in the ways of the world, attractive, insightful, witty, and charismatic. But he’s flawed, guilt-ridden by the errors of his past yet passionate enough to correct them if given the chance.
Will he get it?
Let’s just say some answers are rational and scientific, others spiritual, and others magical. They all contribute to this wonderful work of fiction, which, when you least expect it, takes a sharp twist that readers won’t possibly see coming.
An Enchanting and Thoughtful Journey
In The Canticle of Ibiza, Justin Kurian has written an intelligent, thoughtful tale with many layers, dissecting the human spirit to its core with characters that run the gamut of emotions and present us with perspectives that take us beyond traditional ways of looking at things.
And he raises intriguing questions about human nature that give us pause. What is really important in life? What if you had the chance to rectify the worst mistake you ever made? Would you take it?
Prepare yourself for an enchanting journey with one who did.
About Justin Kurian:
Justin Kurian has a B.A. in American Literature and Studies from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. He worked as a lawyer for the Legal Aid Society in Manhattan. Justin has also lived and worked in numerous countries in Europe for over a decade, including England and Romania and Spain, and currently resides in New York.
The Sunlight Lies Beyond, his debut novel, is a dramatic tale set in Eastern Europe in Romania after the fall of Communism and received excellent reviews. His newest novel, The Canticle of Ibiza, is a moving and darkly humorous tale of an American searching for his lost friend and former mentor on the mysterious Balearic Islands in Spain.
