Right from the start I need to chime in and tell you that this is not a work of fiction nor is it a novel nor is it an in depth study of the history of the Book of Kells.  No, what this is is an essay using The Book of Kells as its subject matter. But this is a good thing, in particular since it is a very, very well written essay and I do love a good essay no matter the subject matter.  Good writing is becoming a rare commodity these days and when we find a bit of it we need to grasp it closely.