Not the End of the World

I'd never thought about exactly how creepy the Noah's Ark story really was until I read this excellent feminist (anti-patriarchal) retelling.

What was it really like when the heavens opened and the world drowned? Everyone knows the story of the Flood: The man called on by God to build an ark. The animals that came on board two by two. The rain that fell for forty days and forty nights. But what about the rest of the story? What about Noah's wife and daughters-in-law? And what if there was a daughter as well? How would it feel to head into the unknown, with only each other and all those animals? What would it be like to turn away friends and neighbors struggling in the water? Could all of it really be part of God's Plan -- the hunger and pain and fear?

Not for those who are not open to questioning religion. For those who are, this is a fantastic fictional account of how Noah and family survived the flood. It has them refusing to help drowning neighbors as Noah believes God has instructed them. The story is told from Noah's daughter's viewpoint and has some feminist leanings. The writing is spectacular and I couldn't put it down.

This retelling of the Noah's ark story from the perspective of the people on the boat -- especially the women -- is a powerful reminder that we might not be all that different today from humans who lived so long ago and that even the most amazing hero and God stories, whether we believe that they are true or not, probably smell pretty bad if you trace them back to their origins. Unflinching. Intense. Beautifully written.

The story of Noah and the Ark is retold from various viewpoints including some of the animals. The main voice that carries the story is Noah's fictional daughter, Timna, who describes her experiences of what it was like to be on the ark while watching everyone drown. “The water boiled with people. They were swimming, or clutching hold of logs, doors, cartwheels. Animals, too, were swimming among them--…Shem swung out from the ship’s rail by one hand, wielding his stave, dislodging people from the hull in the same way you might swat horseflies off the flanks of your horse…It’s like Mother said: We’ve lost no one very close…A lucky escape then…So why can’t I lift up my heart in praise?”(page 11-15) A lot of this book show more is about Timna’s struggle with this question, and also with the overbearing authority of the men on board. One eventually discovers that Timna’s mother harbors similar questions, one of which is: “Why suddenly did the law of hospitality no longer apply? It has always been the tent pole holding up our sky: He who offers a stranger help and shelter is taking God into his home.”(page 218).

Timna secretly saves a boy and his baby sister from drowning. The idea that other people could have survived the flood besides Noah and his family is strongly presented. Realistic descriptive details about what it is like to care for so many disparate animals, including some mythical animals, in claustrophobic conditions are woven through the story. This is an exceptional book that could be recommended both to teens and to adults. It paints a realistic picture of an unrealistic tale. It also gives a picture of what happens when idealism becomes fanatical tyranny and contrasts this with the picture of what kindness and real goodness looks like. This book was the 2004 winner of the Whitbread Chidren's Fiction Award

Definitely a book worth book talking and recommending. Here are some book talk ideas:
How big was the Ark? Give the biblical measurements of the ark, translate the terms of measurement into feet, and figure out with audience what the measurements work out to in square feet. Read from some of the chapters that are told from an animal’s point of view. Read some of the description of rising water - Couldn’t there have been other boats? Describe Timna’s struggle with obeying her father and listening to her own heart. show less

A fascinating take on an old story that challenges everyone's singlular take on the Bible and on God. I was thrilled with the undercurrent of feminism that pervaded the book, and loved the ending. If you liked The Red Tent, you'll love this book.

An interesting, if somewhat slight post-modernist/feminist take on Noah's Ark and the Great Flood. Very readable but felt slightly overlong for what it was trying to say.