Of course, I was also interested in Jim Crace’s writing style, as I’d heard him say some interesting things about language. But before I go any farther in describing his style, maybe a reading of the Bible passages pertinent to “Quarantine” would be in order. They will be familiar to most Bible scholars and Sunday school attendees alike. I reproduce them here:      

Matthew 4, King James Bible

1. Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

5. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6. And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

7. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9. And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11.  Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Okay, if you believe the story as laid out in King James, Jesus fasted in the desert for forty days and nights. Matthew only devoted eight verses to this story but Jim Crace wrote 243 tightly packed pages expounding on it. I was impressed with his use of the English language alright (He is British.).  His contention (in the radio interview) was that if one plies the language well enough, the reader will believe in and identify with a character. In the case of “Quarantine” there were a handful of improbable characters, and I have to say Crace brought them to life in a way that kept me guessing all the way.  He has a way of uniquely using internal monolog, dialog and narrative to delve into the deepest, darkest corners of human motivation. He’s not shy about using a page or two more than one beforehand would think would be sufficient for a given explanation. But, believe me, the devil is in the details. And the result is an interesting portage through some rough territory.

Would I recommend this book? My Christian friends will be able to fill in their view of this sketchy Bible story with a loose (very loose) interpretation of it. It will flow into any cracks or crevices, any deficiencies in their understanding of the purpose of the visit to the desert, any lapse of background in the superstitions that were the order of the day. In fact, any vacuum in their comprehension of what might-have-been will be plastered over and filled in to form a new perspective. Or perhaps not. The narrative doesn’t exactly follow that claimed by Matthew, much in the way that the other Gospels can differ in their account of stories.

My free-thinking friends and those who simply like good literature can enjoy reading it for the pleasure of having fictional characters come to life through the written page — for the excellence of the narrative experience.

I give it four stars and happily recommend it. Good literature. Good reading.     

© 2008 R. Leland Wald.rip