A review of the bestselling novel “Conclave” by Robert Harris
Harris is one of the best-selling authors of British fiction and has made his reputation with a series of works usually set in a particular time and/or place and drawing on much historical research. He is not a great writer and often the journey is more interesting than the destination (his endings can be weak), but he is a consummate storyteller who is consistently entertaining and informative which makes his books real page-turners. “Conclave” is the ninth novel of his that I have read and, while it was published in 2016, I did not read it until encouraged to do so by my admiration for the 2024 film adaptation.
The word conclave comes from the Latin con clavis ‘with a key’ and, in this case refers to the sequestration of the College of Cardinals of the Catholic Church when, as has been the case since the 13th century, they are confined to the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican to vote for a new Pope. It is a concentration of a few powerful people – in this case 118 holy (maybe) men (certainly) – who, in a succession of ballots over a just a few days, select the leader of 1.4 billion souls.
It turns out that the film is a very faithful version of the novel, even down to actual lines of dialogue. The only significant difference in the two formats is that, while in the book the central character is an Italian Cardinal, in the film he is British which enables the casting of the wonderful Ralph Fiennes. Where the novel scores is in its detail of the Vatican buildings and historical references to previous papacies, but I was more impressed by the movie because of the fine acting, splendid cinematography, and evocative sound.