PETER'S DAUGHTER
By Helen Wilkinson
Stickleback Books (01743 718314). 288 pages. £6.99
ISBN 0 9543105 1 9
Peter's daughter is a most enjoyable novel. Two stories run side by side. One, is about Susannah, the imaginary daughter of Simon Peter, as she is caught up in the events of Jesus's life and ministry. The other, Ben, a disillusioned, atheistic archaeologist who stumbles across a shard of pottery, which leads him right back to first-century Palestine and also helps him deal with issues in his own chaotic life.
The characters are believable and the story lines gripping. Helen Wilkinson's writing makes life in Capernaum come wonderfully alive with vivid images. Ben, our modern day character, is well drawn, but a note of caution: do we need the 20th-century language in order to make him realistic?
