Desert Ascent: Or a Brief History of Eternity — Simon Parke

Abbot Peter has enough on his plate frankly. His monastery of St. James the Less is due for closure. Stuck amid the outer reaches of a large desert nowhere, it wasn't deemed to be scoring very high on its performance indicators. And then there were the staff changes which really only increased the pressure on an abbot already wavering on the fundamentals of the faith, and some hugely demanding pilgrims who had come to the desert because there was nowhere else to take their creaking lives.
Amidst all this a mini family saga is lived out, there's some surprising sex and the issue of cradle songs becomes increasingly pressing, as does the search for a ladder; a ladder to God whoever He or She may be. All in all, it is a desert tale which adds up to an ascent of sorts, and a strange epiphany. But should the truth really cost this much?