Gospel According to the Son

Rating:
Summary: A Very Mixed Bag
Review: This book has some merit, but does not add enough to the portrayal of Jesus in the gospels to make it deserving of more than two stars. I liked Mailer's simple prose, which displays little of the show-offishness of The Fight, and the way in which he links the familiar events of the gospels, but otherwise I found the book slightly uninspirational. Jesus is portrayed as very human, and as grappling with the problem of how to handle his status of Son of God and the powers that go with it, but this is not a remarkable insight on the part of Mailer. I would think that anybody who has read the Bible with a sense of curiosity would have considered this as well.

Rating:
Summary: well done and highly recommended
Review: I had never read in the genera called "Life of Jesus." I had heard good things about this book, and it was well reviewed by many sources I trust. I've not been disappointed. It tells about Jesus' ministry in a Mark-like fashion (i.e. minimal interpretation, more a description of events) but with a twist: Much of the time we are treated to Jesus' own introspections about what he is doing and what he is wrestling with. Obviously this is fiction, but the deeper question is where along the spectrum of reporting among documentary, interpretation, and fiction do the gospels lie? Mailer has also read in some ancient Jewish and Christian sources and has incorporated things that, ceteris paribus, Jesus would probably have been aware of as his own ministry progressed. The style has a hauntingly minimalist grammar to it, pithy and saying-like, which we come to often associate with the words of Jesus. This makes the work all the more effective. This was my first Mailer book too, so I'm not a groupie, but I've come to respect this author already.

Rating:
Summary: So much from so little
Review: When a friend leant me The Gospel According to the Son, he sent it with these words of warning: `When I first read this it seemed too simple, too straightforward. Mailer's cheating by just putting words into a character's mouth. Read it twice to realise just what it is about.' The upshot of this advice was that I am now in possession of a novel that is every reviewer's nightmare and every writer's dream - how can you make so much out of so little? In some respects this is the ultimate compliment for Norman Mailer, a man for whom the words `egotistical' and `arrogant' have almost become pseudonyms, because whilst the biblical research is meticulous his philosophy is profound. Instead of writing The Gospel According to Norman Mailer, this is a truly humanist piece of literature, which is probably why the more religious audiences took exception to it. The contrast between the human and the divine is marked but not to the point where the writer becomes didactic or intent on exposing his character's flaws for an effect. There is a constant feeling of control throughout the text rather than having to try and anticipate a sudden outburst of authorial emotion. The audience can remain comfortable in the knowledge that what they are reading is a deeply human portrayal devoid of pandering to history since the research is evident but doesn't influence character construction.

The `plot' itself is a straightforward progression from a young carpenter plying his trade to a deeply introspective preacher who is fully aware of his mortality and realises that he is troubled by the problems of the human condition in the same way as everyone else is. From a personal perspective there are two scenes that are particularly memorable; the 40 day exile in the desert in which the conversations with the Devil are definitely reminiscent of Satan's eloquence in Paradise Lost but also reflect the concerns and doubts of a young man embarking on a life-changing journey. Principally he seems unsure of just how valid the words and advice of his father really are but it is the constant casting of doubt into the mind that captivated me throughout this series of exchanges. The scene of the crucifixion is prose to be savoured since the impetuous youth has now been replaced by a more meditative, mature, reflective adult who accepts his demise with the restraint of one facing the inevitable. Both of these are indicative of the beauty that Mailer's writing holds, both on the level of a simplistic minimalist and also as a novelist fighting against the desperate urges to abandon his objectivity of the character and infuse his own personal agenda into their words.

It's true to say that this style takes a bit of adjustment from the more established novelists, but their quality of prose would struggle to capture a novel of this quality. Mailer's projection of the psychological profile is also on a par with Dostoyevsky's Napoleonic hero, Raskolnikov, in Crime and Punishment. Historical fiction must usually lie within certain boundaries of but this breaks them irreparably and does so with such aplomb and self-assurance that you cannot help but turn the final page before beginning to contemplate the inspirational writing you have just had the pleasure of devouring.