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A review by missyjohnson
The Gospel According to the New World by Maryse Condé
2.0
book club 2.0 May 2024 International Booker prize. not sure that I really understand much of this book and maybe what the author is trying to convey. Maybe lost in translation.... The final sentence of the book maybe the point that she was trying to get across.... Speaking of the love that the Gribaldi's had for each other; "They have understood that thanks to the love between two individuals, thanks to their hearts beating in unison, an individual can put up with suffering, disillusionment, and humiliation of all sorts and that only this love can transfigure the world and make peace on earth."
Pascal is born and left in the shed of Eulalie and Jean Pierre by his young unwed mother, Maya/Fatima. somehow he is thought to be divine. there are several components from the New Testament that are thrown in and Pascal is searching for his father. He is visited as a young adult by Espiritu, an unusual man with a strange hump on his back. This is a man that Pascal eventually refers to as his uncle. Espiritu wants Pascal to meet his real father, but he never seem to be able to catch up with him. the book seemed to jump around too much without enough cohesion. the timing of things did not seem to flow either. There would be a discussion about having a party to celebrate Pascal in two weeks, which would be Easter, then there is a four week span of Pascal dealing with trying to see his friend Judas Eluthere. the story line about the party never when anywhere. Maybe I am not understanding some of the references to French leaders and such. There are also references to other countries and Rastafarians and Haile Sallesse. a lot of this is due to the book focusing on immigrants and discrimination. Maybe the discussion with help
Pascal is born and left in the shed of Eulalie and Jean Pierre by his young unwed mother, Maya/Fatima. somehow he is thought to be divine. there are several components from the New Testament that are thrown in and Pascal is searching for his father. He is visited as a young adult by Espiritu, an unusual man with a strange hump on his back. This is a man that Pascal eventually refers to as his uncle. Espiritu wants Pascal to meet his real father, but he never seem to be able to catch up with him. the book seemed to jump around too much without enough cohesion. the timing of things did not seem to flow either. There would be a discussion about having a party to celebrate Pascal in two weeks, which would be Easter, then there is a four week span of Pascal dealing with trying to see his friend Judas Eluthere. the story line about the party never when anywhere. Maybe I am not understanding some of the references to French leaders and such. There are also references to other countries and Rastafarians and Haile Sallesse. a lot of this is due to the book focusing on immigrants and discrimination. Maybe the discussion with help