book review vol. twenty: Lamb

by D.O.

Last night I finished reading one of the (if not the) funniest books I’ve ever read.

Christopher Moore’s Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal came to me with high recommendation from Colby Ivey and literally came in the mail from Mikey Mills. It tells the story of Jesus’ formative years, the ones that don’t get much play in the Gospels, from the viewpoint of his best friend, Levi who is called Biff. It is, of course, entirely fictional and derived primarily from the depths of Moore’s creativity, but it also boasts historical accuracy wherever possible.

You may remember the excerpt I shared from the book a couple months ago (go ahead and reread it so the tense of the first word in the next sentence is correct). That is a pretty good indicator of how the book reads. Moore did his research in writing this massive undertaking and it shows in the subtlest ways (like the fact that young Jewish boys at the time would know the Torah well enough to [try to] reenact it the same way our youth act out… Star Wars).

Lamb is a very enjoyable ride, and I recommend it highly, in the same way I recommended A Field Guide to Evangelicals and Their Habitat, which is to say if you cringe at the idea of Jesus saying a cuss word or being curious about sex as a child, then you probably shouldn’t read it. However if those and other extra-Biblical but realistically imaginable things pique your interest (or if you at least appreciate the creativity therein), then you really do need to read this.

And believers should use this book not only as an excellent tool to bring audible laughter into their lives, but also to broaden their views of their Savior. I know that, if nothing else, this book allowed me to dwell on the manhood of Christ in new ways. The reality that he was faced with everything we’re faced with, tangible and intangible.

So while the story is unquestionably hilarious, it is also very well researched and well written. The characters are developed brilliantly, and there are small elements of Truth to be found in this 430 page Arrested Development-esque novel. Get it, and thank me later.