Harare Review of Books

224 pages.

First published in 2020.

Finished on 15 December 2020.

Genre: Fiction

Pulitzer Prize finalist Lydia Millet’s sublime new novel—her first since the National Book Award long-listed Sweet Lamb of Heaven—follows a group of twelve eerily mature children on a forced vacation with their families at a sprawling lakeside mansion.

Contemptuous of their parents, who pass their days in a stupor of liquor, drugs, and sex, the children feel neglected and suffocated at the same time. When a destructive storm descends on the summer estate, the group’s ringleaders—including Eve, who narrates the story—decide to run away, leading the younger ones on a dangerous foray into the apocalyptic chaos outside.

As the scenes of devastation begin to mimic events in the dog-eared picture Bible carried around by her beloved little brother, Eve devotes herself to keeping him safe from harm.

A Children’s Bible is a prophetic, heartbreaking story of generational divide—and a haunting vision of what awaits us on the far side of Revelation.

One of the more intriguing books I read in 2020.

Some screenshots:

This was my comment on Twitter, while reading it:

POV in this is really delightful.

(Discovering I like a certain kind of writing very much.)

And my final thoughts:

This book. The mystery/magical realism is very intriguing. I think it will stay with me for a while. Definitely a certain kind of book, but I enjoyed it.

Rated: (Updating this to) 10/10. There were some bewildering parts (I think it’s meant to be that way), and I was truly annoyed with the idiot parents, but really quite an unusual and wonderful read.

Highly recommended.

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