The Vatican Swindle

Set during the pontificate of Leo XIII, this book is a blend of humor and tragedy in the quest for understanding one’s place in a world marked by both enlightenment and faith. Could the Pope have been secretly abducted? 5 books come together, centered around group of fraudsters, who convince their wealthy victims that the pontiff has been imprisoned by freemasons. Farce, romance, even murder, this book is a send-up of conventional morality, most clearly in the character of Lafcadio, an adolescent boy who kills a stranger for no reason except personal curiosity about the nature of morality, and whose notorious behaviour in the novel provoked outrage at the time of publication. Though more light-hearted than Gide's usual fare, this unusual novel still questions how individuals should live their life when faced with the rigid social and ethical structures that surround us. (Summary by Jessie Percival)