The Nameless Land: Why This Book Exists, or Love as Pyramid Scheme

The Nameless Land exists so as to attempt to answer one simple question: can love and marriage exist in a world filled with so much deceit and betrayal? In order to confront this question and to proffer an answer, this tale traffics in the simplest of symbols by which to mythologize deceit itself and to make the sinfulness of betrayal intimate enough that the reader can relate to the violation.

            Bear in mind, however, that many readers will have never been married. Still, the question probably resonates with anyone and everyone. That’s because all readers know how deceitful and how cruel the world can be. Moreover, even if this or that reader has never been married or even party to a serious relationship, we can all agree that one’s wedding vows must surely be the most important covenant into which anyone can enter.

So, other than this being a story of betrayal, what is The Nameless Land about?

The answer depends upon which one of the principal characters you were to ask. According to Anastasia, it could be a love story or possibly a psychological thriller. According to Rupert, it’s a story about power and greed and deceit—the dark side of human nature. Anastasia would say that it’s a story about committing to the goal of trusting someone in this world, and Rupert would say that it’s a story about the impossibility of trusting anyone.

As the reader moves through the narrative arc, the reader will probably note the nameless land itself—the wilderness of Sinai. More to the point, the reader will come to think of all that lies hidden beneath that land.

Ultimately, the reader will probably come to think of this visionary work as a tale of a pyramid. But it had to be that way because nothing symbolizes the dangers of civilization quite like a dark, forbidden, labyrinthine pyramid. Anything can happen inside a structure like that. As such, a timeless Egyptian pyramid serves to represent almost anything that terrifies us. In this world, there are so many different kinds of deceit: tyrannical politicians, corrupt businessmen guilty of insider trading and the worst acts of theft. Any of those variant forms of deceit could very well pervade a pyramid in the sense that a pyramid always houses a pharaoh—an emperor of limitless power and riches.

Given all that, a certain amount of true tension must accompany a young man and a young woman excavating such a mysterious structure. Not only must that couple size up the pyramid, the couple in question must size one another up and decide whether the other is someone who may be trusted with a person’s deepest longing—the longing for love.

M. Laszlo lives in Bath Township, Ohio. He is an aging recluse, rarely seen nor heard. The Nameless Land is his second release with Vine Leaves Press.