The Transmigrant

A captivating, powerful novel about the undocumented years of Jesus that humanizes him in a sensitive and delicate way.

Twelve-year-old Yeshua may be uneducated, but he burns with a passionate love for God. And he thrills his audience at the Jerusalem Temple when the Holy Spirit speaks through him. The priests, however, are not amused. Who does he think he is? Because a carpenter’s son can never join their divine ranks. Humiliated by their dismissal and consumed by his unattainable dream of becoming a Rabbi, Yeshua’s life seems doomed.

Until one day, when a Buddhist pilgrim invites him along on a journey across the Silk Road. In the Himalayan foothills and the far reaches of India, Yeshua studies Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. But wherever he goes, he faces the same authoritarian hierarchies, and he is always forced to leave. Isolated and alone in his quest, will Yeshua ever find the reverence he seeks?

Kristi Saare Duarte masterfully incorporates threads of spiritual insight to create a compelling portrait of the man who became known as Christ. The narrative traces his evolution from adolescence, where he navigates physical desires and romantic experiences, to enlightened mastery.

Stunning and deeply touching, this unique novel provokes both conversation and meditation.