Several authors have recently written controversial novels examining the life and character of the world's most influential man, Jesus Christ. In Nikos Kazantzakis' The Last Temptation of Christ, Jesus became a man subject to the same desires, passions, and failings as the rest of the human race. More recently (1997), Norman Mailer released The Gospel According to the Son, a complete retelling of Christ's life complete with Mailer's trademark blunt, irreverent musings. Now, Jim Crace presents Quarantine, a fictional account of Jesus' 40-day exile in the Judaic desert.
Oddly enough, Crace doesn't give the man who was Christ a whole lot of page time. The book mainly focuses on five other people searching for salvation in the same streach of desert where Jesus exiled himself. This motley group of characters, including a woman attempting to get pregnant (!), an old man hoping to cure his cancer, and even a lost merchant swindling money out of the others, are defined through calm, understated, and completely convincing monologues. Crace's soft touch lets each characters own words expose their all-too-human frailties.
But the problem for any author attempting to portray Christ is the dilemma of presenting him as a human, sympathetic character while also recognizing his divinity. At least, the controversy surrounding the above novels focus on this problem. However, in the Crace's Christ, I don't think the protesters will find much ammunition. Jesus' several appearances show us an intensely faithful and insightful young man not yet sure of his own powers. He does struggle with doubt over the nature of his faith, but I found this depiction to be similar to any young monarch questioning the responsibility of his great power. More telling is the rush of the other characters to impose their desire for salvation onto the silently enigmatic Christ. it is an ironic foreshadowing of the modern disagreements and debates over Christ's teachings after his death.
I should note that even if religion bores you, Crace's masterful writing - which magically recreates the world between B.C. and A.D. - will captivate you. Give it a read.
This review originally appeared in The Weekly Alibi.
© Todd Meigs
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