Set in contemporary Turkey, The Infidel weighs the elements of truth that flow out of Turkish consciousness in the wake of its historical massacres. In a culture where civic events, history and theology, are as often suppressed as invented, Piccard’s novel creates a path to truth for those with “ears to hear and eyes to see.” Told through a series of tape recordings and commentary, the eloquent narrative of Jesus the Infidel becomes the eyewitness account of the formative events that occurred in Turkish Kurdistan in the first quarter of the twentieth century. What is revealed is as much enigma as it is story for the journalist, Tarik, who records and researches Jesus the Infidel’s account. In counterpoint, Tarik is forced to grapple with his ignorance of his country’s past as well as his personal history of privilege.
Authentic and persuasive, The Infidel is an uncompromising novel of the focussed turning point of events following the revelation of truth. At a time when the world is alerted to the Kurdish peoples’ desire for separatism, Piccard’s novel sets the backdrop for their motivation.