Wednesday, May 1, 2013

The Liar's Gospel (Naomi Alderman)



The Liars' Gospel by Naomi




The Liar's Gospel is the stories of 4 characters connected to Jesus of Nazareth: his mother, Mary; his betrayer, Judas; his persecuter, Caiaphas; and his accidental rival, Barabbas. Four chapters, four characters, four viewpoints-each from the first person.
It has taken me a while to review this book, simply because I wasn't sure what to say about it.
I must first say that I am a Christian, and although this book is pretty far off from what Christians are generally taught, it was very interesting. Who is to say it did not happen this way? The characters were very realistic, flawed and human. And although each of the characters play an important part in Jesus' life, Jesus didn't always figure prominently into their lives. To some he was a passing madman, someone to feel sorry for, or simply forget.
I enjoyed the author's simple, earthy writing style, and appreciated that she held no punches. As a Christian, the lack of divinity (for lack of a better phrase!) was sometimes hard to take, but I made it through and I am glad that I did.
My favorite line of the book comes from Caiphas--"This?" He asks...he lives a whole life and is remembered for "This?" Pretty brilliant.

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