The Gospel of Damascus — Omar Imady

A Book of the Year Award (BOTYA) finalist in 2012, The Gospel of Damascus is an eschatological novel that weaves Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions to tell the story of eight angels who identify and prepare Yune Bukhari, a Damascene man born to a Christian mother and Muslim father, to be one of the successors to the Disciples of Christ. The preparation process is complex and entails spiritual and sensual experiences which Yune must successfully undergo. Guiding the preparation process are golden scrolls which can only be opened at very specific dates. The story appears to culminate on Christmas Eve 1999 when Yune, along with his co-disciples, believe Christ will return. Yune is shattered when Christ fails to descend on the White Tower east of Damascus. But thirty-three years later, the preparation of Yune is over and he is finally permitted to witness the event he had anticipated for so long. "Recommended" by US Review of books and featured as a "reviewer's choice" by MidWest Book Review.