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Title: Quarantine : A Novel by Jim Crace ISBN: 0-312-19951-1 Publisher: Picador USA Pub. Date: 15 March, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.74 (57 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A Little Disappointing
Comment: "Quarantine" is described as a retelling of Christ's forty-day fast in the desert. I was a little disappointed because the book focused, not so much on Christ, as on several other pilgrims who, for reasons of their own, were also fasting in the desert.
The real protagonist of the book is Miri, the pregnant wife of the abusive merchant, Musa. While Miri and Musa were interesting, they weren't interesting enough to hold my full attention when Christ was in a cave close by. Worse yet, none of the "quarantiners" seems to be greatly affected by Christ's presence among them other than harboring a mild curiosity. Only Musa recognizes Christ and his interest seems to be interest for his own gain. Although Miri is changed by her experience in the desert, her change comes about through the intervention of another female quarantiner, not Christ.
Crace's writing is beautiful. His descriptions of the desert landscape are mesmerizing and almost make up for what I found lacking the this book's plot. The characters are also well-drawn and very believable but other than Miri, I really wasn't able to sympathize or identify with any of them.
"Quarantine" will probably delight any Crace fan and readers of literary fiction may like it as well. Be aware, though, that the book isn't really "about Christ" and that even his influence on the other characters is minimal. This is one I read for the gorgeous writing more than for the story.
Rating: 4
Summary: yet another interesting offer from Crace
Comment: Quarantine takes as its basis the story of Jesus' forty days in the desert. But rather than focusing only on Jesus, Crace introduces other characters into the picture ' Musa the conniving merchant and his put-upon, pregnant wife Miri; Aphas, an old man suffering from cancer who has gone into the desert as a last resort attempt at a cure; Marta, an infertile woman who is undertaking the quarantine in an attempt to prove her worthiness to bear a child; Shim, a wannabe aesthete who is perhaps not as above the worries of the secular world as he would like; and a mysterious Badu, a (perhaps) mad tribesman.
Quarantine uses these characters to explore themes of belief and the interactions between humans when they are outside of their normal element. As with other Crace writing, the prose in this novel is terrific, and he manages just as well with descriptions of the landscape as he does his characters. This is a small ensemble for such an intense novel, but it works well ' we see society at large explored in this small microcosm.
Unlike some modern-day tales based on stories from the Bible, Crace has not attempted to 'modernise' his story too much (unlike a past story I read which managed to have Judas as a paedophile, Mary suffering from breast cancer, and various gay and disabled characters to give it a more 'realistic' feel). He has managed to explore age-old themes in an ancient setting, yet bring a modern feel to the work. If you take your Bible to be the word of God, and don't like reinterpretations, I would suggest that you don't attempt this book ' you will probably throw it away in disgust. But for the rest of us, there is a great reading experience waiting in yet another offering from one of today's most eclectic and versatile authors.
Rating: 5
Summary: "A village view of god that was not scholarly."
Comment: From its dramatic opening in which a trader lies dying in a tent while his caravan continues on to Jericho without him, to the confusing days following the death of Jesus, Crace's novel of forty days' "quarantine" in the wilderness startles, fascinates, and ultimately haunts. Readers who embrace a literal interpretation of the Bible may be offended by the premise and plot of this novel, in which Jesus and four other pilgrims seek spiritual enlightenment in separate caves in the bleak wilderness. Each, including Jesus, faces personal demons as s/he wrestles with solitude, starvation, and thirst. For those who regard events in the New Testament as symbolic, rather than literal, the novel offers a surprising new way of experiencing and interpreting the trials in the wilderness, the death and burial of Jesus, and ultimately the influence of Jesus on succeeding generations.
Crace's descriptions of the natural world are breathtaking. Using vivid verbs, musical cadences, unique metaphors, and acutely perceived observations about man, nature, and the spirit, he brings the wilderness into sharp focus, often personifying nature and its creatures without a trace of romanticism. "The clouds came down to sniff the hills, to scratch their bellies on the thorns," "Clouds and lightning moved away, banging on their shields," and sounds of wind that "could be mistaken for the vast percussion of the storm-pressed, canvas billows of a ship" are among the hundreds of vibrant and unique images which bring nature to life and illustrate man's closeness to it. With a similar focus on men as humans within nature and the wilderness, he attempts to recreate the quarantine experience and man's desire to connect with a higher power. Jesus, like the other pilgrims, is human here, a man rooted in the real world of his day and subject to the same urges as other men. He is different from them, however, in his determination not to yield to privation as he seeks union with God through his visions and hallucinations.
This is not a book that will appeal to everyone. Though Crace's purpose is not to debunk, he does challenge our understanding of what happened between the forty days in the wilderness and the resurrection and its significance. The language is stunning, the characters are fascinating, the imagery is unique, and the power of nature is overwhelming--but one's enjoyment of the book ultimately depends on one's willingness to consider alternative interpretations of some of the basic tenets of Christianity. Mary Whipple
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Title: Being Dead : A Novel by Jim Crace ISBN: 0312275420 Publisher: Picador USA Pub. Date: 21 March, 2001 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: Gift Of Stones by Jim Crace ISBN: 0880014504 Publisher: Ecco Pub. Date: 01 May, 1996 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Genesis : A Novel by Jim Crace ISBN: 0374227306 Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux Pub. Date: 15 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $23.00 |
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Title: Continent by Jim Crace ISBN: 0880014989 Publisher: Ecco Pub. Date: January, 1997 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: Signals Of Distress by Jim Crace ISBN: 0880014865 Publisher: Ecco Pub. Date: 01 December, 1996 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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