An insect crawls through the pages of this novel ...

Scarabaeus sacer, popularly known as the dung beetle, is an ancient Egyptian symbol for the sun god Re. As his incarnation, it carries spiritual messages about wisdom, good fortune, transformation, death, immortality and renewal. 

Like beetles and their larvae that undergo a complete metamorphosis, experiencing drastic changes in their life phases, the novel’s characters also pass through different stages in their lives, with experiences that change them over time. The insect crawls through the pages as a polyvalent symbol of life’s meanings, its beauty, its magic and the mystery of a universe in which evolution has alienated man from nature. 

However, the beetle also represents man’s capacity for love and friendship, his vulnerability, his resilience and the vanity that is contained within his futile striving for knowledge.