Every Waking Notion

An Awfully Big Adventure: Biblical Proportions

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warningspoilers:

Lamb – Christopher Moore

I won’t lie to you guys: this is probably the funniest book I’ve ever read. This is good, since Moore is a comedy writer. That’s comedy, people, as in jokes and humour. So if you’re a devoted Christian and you read this book, make sure to take it with a grain of salt. Or sugar, if that helps it go down better.

Lamb is a gospel according to Biff, Christ’s childhood pal.

One of my favourite things about this book is the fresh idea of it. I mean, really. What author has the balls to take on a fictional retelling of such a sacred figure? That has so much potential to go terribly, terribly wrong. Thankfully, Moore does not steer us wrong. He goes into the story with poise, humility and some downright hilarity.

You’ll never read anything like this in the Bible, I’ll tell you that.

Now, it’s important to note that there are no biblical records of Jesus’s life from the time he was born until basically the time he was thirty and gave this huge, famous sermon. Except for this one point when he was twelve and snuck off to a temple so that he could have a really snarky one-liner when his mother finally found him: “Why were you worried? I was in my father’s house.” That little witty Messiah.

But I digress. Moore fills that gaping biblical plot hole with an adventure of his own. The aforementioned Biff narrates the story from the time he first met Joshua (Jesus being his Greek name) and the journeys they took together to the very, uh, nail-in-wrist end. You know how it goes.

The story begins with their lives in a small Jewish town and their childhood together. Christ’s first angel, his first healing, his first face-on-bread catastrophe. And Mary of Magdala. We cannot forget about her.

Now, this story is primarily about Joshua discovering what it truly means to be the Son of God and learning how to lead his people. Biff is kind of along for the ride. But in a way, Joshua needs Biff. Biff is the guy who can get them out of trouble (as well as in it) and keeps the Prince of Peace grounding on a mortal plane. Honestly guys, it’s the ultimate bromace.

Joshua and Biff go off in search of the three wise men who presented themselves at Joshua’s birth – we all know the tale. Now, I would like to warn you: while the entirety of this novel is hilarious, the second half is a bit slow-moving. It’s very philosophical and thoughtful, which turns out to be a wonderful blend to the comedy.

Biff, the inventor of sarcasm, and Joshua, the Son of God. They’re a dynamic duo, if I’ve seen one.

- Lady Gee

I love this book SO much. You should reeeead it. Just sayin’.

This is one of my very favorite books EVER.