Nine degrees at 9am. Misty but with the sun gamely trying to burn its way through. By 1pm it was eighteen degrees and sunny. Short sleeves for the lunchtime kindergarten run.
Not the Da Vinci Code...
Despite its title, this pretty accomplished novel is not connected – not at all, in no way and not by any stretch of the imagination – with the recent outpouring of thrillers mining the fertile lode of catholic history, medieval legend and modern-day religious relativism. Those Amazon reviewers who expected something like the Da Vinci Code perhaps should have read the blurbs more carefully. They do Simon Mawer and his work a great disservice with their 1s and 2s.
Sure, the Gospel of the title is a papyrus that needs to be deciphered. But that’s it. No coded message, no mystery, no buried treasure. The treasure in this book is its treatment of its main theme : the theme of deception and betrayal. Almost every character is a Judas in some way – by extension we are all traitors and betrayed. And when betraying ourselves, we are both at the same time. The book is pervaded with the smells and sounds of betrayal : the leitmotif of the clipping of a woman’s heels on the pavement, the cloying odours of the room where vows are broken. The sudden shifts from one story to another jolt us into the realisation that the same traitorous acts recur generation after generation and echo beyond our own lifetimes, shaping others.
Even though (or perhaps because) this isn’t Da Vinci Code mark 14, I would recommend it. It’s an interesting, thought-provoking and well-written book.
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Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Book Notes No. 5 : The Gospel of Judas, Simon Mawer
Nine degrees at 9am. Misty but with the sun gamely trying to burn its way through. By 1pm it was eighteen degrees and sunny. Short sleeves for the lunchtime kindergarten run.
Not the Da Vinci Code...
Despite its title, this pretty accomplished novel is not connected – not at all, in no way and not by any stretch of the imagination – with the recent outpouring of thrillers mining the fertile lode of catholic history, medieval legend and modern-day religious relativism. Those Amazon reviewers who expected something like the Da Vinci Code perhaps should have read the blurbs more carefully. They do Simon Mawer and his work a great disservice with their 1s and 2s.
Sure, the Gospel of the title is a papyrus that needs to be deciphered. But that’s it. No coded message, no mystery, no buried treasure. The treasure in this book is its treatment of its main theme : the theme of deception and betrayal. Almost every character is a Judas in some way – by extension we are all traitors and betrayed. And when betraying ourselves, we are both at the same time. The book is pervaded with the smells and sounds of betrayal : the leitmotif of the clipping of a woman’s heels on the pavement, the cloying odours of the room where vows are broken. The sudden shifts from one story to another jolt us into the realisation that the same traitorous acts recur generation after generation and echo beyond our own lifetimes, shaping others.
Even though (or perhaps because) this isn’t Da Vinci Code mark 14, I would recommend it. It’s an interesting, thought-provoking and well-written book.
Not the Da Vinci Code...
Despite its title, this pretty accomplished novel is not connected – not at all, in no way and not by any stretch of the imagination – with the recent outpouring of thrillers mining the fertile lode of catholic history, medieval legend and modern-day religious relativism. Those Amazon reviewers who expected something like the Da Vinci Code perhaps should have read the blurbs more carefully. They do Simon Mawer and his work a great disservice with their 1s and 2s.
Sure, the Gospel of the title is a papyrus that needs to be deciphered. But that’s it. No coded message, no mystery, no buried treasure. The treasure in this book is its treatment of its main theme : the theme of deception and betrayal. Almost every character is a Judas in some way – by extension we are all traitors and betrayed. And when betraying ourselves, we are both at the same time. The book is pervaded with the smells and sounds of betrayal : the leitmotif of the clipping of a woman’s heels on the pavement, the cloying odours of the room where vows are broken. The sudden shifts from one story to another jolt us into the realisation that the same traitorous acts recur generation after generation and echo beyond our own lifetimes, shaping others.
Even though (or perhaps because) this isn’t Da Vinci Code mark 14, I would recommend it. It’s an interesting, thought-provoking and well-written book.
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1 comment:
I will look it up.
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