I love this book. I literally cannot express enough how much I love this book and everything about it.

This book originally caught my attention from the author’s name. I’m familiar with Naomi Alderman’s work on Zombies, Run!, a jogging app that she wrote the main story for in the first season (for sure). I read the blurb at bought the book, and have never regretted that decision since. I’ve read this book about four or five times by now, and it’s still a brilliant read!

The story takes place during the time of Roman-Judea, when the Roman Empire had a very firm hold on Israel. This time of political conflict is the backdrop for the rise (and subsequent fall) of Jesus Christ, which makes this story about religion, history and politics all in one.

The story is told by four different characters – Mary, the mother of Jesus; Judah, the man who betrayed him; Caiaphas, the man who decided what would happen to Jesus; and Barabas, the man who should have died instead of him. Now, here I’m giving the ‘Anglican’ names for the characters, but in the book we’re actually given their Jewish names, in spelling that is rather unfamiliar but would be the phonetic spelling for it. This is one of the reasons I love this book – the way it is so beautifully authentic and Jewish in its own way without apologizing for it.

The other thing I love about this story is that Alderman is Jewish, which means that the entire thing is very well researched. It gives you insight into customs and traditions and history that shape the Jewish people of today, and it also shows you the historical conflict that there was with the Roman Empire. It shows you that, though Jesus might not have been ‘the Son of God’, he was incredibly instrumental to the revolution against the Romans, and that historically, that is his main role.

Basically, this book is a retelling of a story all of us who grew up Catholic would know, but shown to us from a different point of view and from the other side of the Abrahamic Religion spectrum, and that makes me appreciate it a little bit more.

My final rating is 5/5 and I couldn’t be happier to give it to this book. ( )

Stories of Yehoshuah/Jesus from Miryam/Mary, Iehouda/Judas, Caiaphas, and Bar-Avo/Barrabas.

The stories are firmly rooted in the Jewish context of a land occupied by the Romans but show a figure different but recognisably extrapolated from the stories in the New Testament. Fascinating. ( )

This is a book that I would not have been likely to pick up if it hadn't been offered to me by the publisher to read. And it's honestly not surprising to me that the reviews on this book are pretty much at either end of the spectrum. Some people have a very hard time thinking objectively when they feel something touches close to their belief system, especially if it asks them to consider a different possibility or perspective.

The Liar's Gospel is a work of historical fiction that looks at Jerusalem during the time of Roman occupation through the eyes of four people: Miryam (Mary), Iehuda (Judas), Caiaphas, and Bar-Avo (Barabbas). While, obviously, one common thread between these is the life of Yehoshuah (Jesus), I personally saw this as a text that looks much more at everyone else. It attempts to understand the political climate that existed at the time and how others may have viewed (or been forced to view) the situation and their options. It reflects the struggles of a people against an oppressive imperial regime and also points out just how often the story that ends up being told or remembered often leaves out both the struggles and accomplishments of those who aren't central to the prevailing thread. As Alderman's own epilogue states "Storytellers know that every story is at least partly a lie. Every story could be told in four different ways, or forty or four thousand. Every emphasis or omission is a kind of lie, shaping a moment to make a point. [...] Do not imagine that a storyteller is unaware of the effect of every word she chooses. Do not suppose for a moment tat an impartial observer exists." And this text illustrates that assertion splendidly.

(eGalley provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.) ( )

Just couldn't get into this at all. Bah. Author I used to love, too. ( )

Four and a half stars. Engrossing, exhaustively researched. So much simultaneous sympathy and rage for the characters. ( )