A Children's Bible: a novel

American author, Lydia Millet in her book, A Children's Bible, has written a novel describing the potential fate of the environment by incorporating metaphors from biblical stories.

A group of adults who attended college together many years ago have hired a large holiday house for several weeks. Between them they have a number of children, most in their late teens though there are several youngsters in the group. The younger generation decide that they would prefer to stay away from the parents as much as possible so end up camping away from the house. The parents seem not to mind and intend to enjoy themselves, drinking, smoking, dancing plus occasional drug taking. There is a definite divide between the parents and the older children with most of the teenagers preferring to ignore their parents altogether.

Evie's eleven year old brother, Jack, is very concerned about nature and the environment and he and his friend, Shel, spend spent much of their time exploring the area around the house. He also likes reading and one of the adults gives him a copy of a Children's Bible which he investigates when not reading his other books. When Evie is concerned with Jack's possible reaction to the bible stories Jack tells her that God is nature, Jesus is the environment while the Holy Spirit is concerned with making things and art.

As the story progresses analogies can be made by the reader to biblical stories and characters. When a storm hits the area where the families are holidaying, Jack and Shel collect animals to keep them safe as in the story of the flood in Noah's Ark. The storm severely damages the house and the surrounding area is flooded so the teenagers decide to transfer to a house owned by one set of parents. With roads blocked this is not possible so they end up camping on a farm where they meet Burl who was floating on the water. Burl later goes to the top of a nearby hill where there is better phone reception to talk to the owner of the farm. On return he announces that it is OK for them to stay provided that they do not break any of the directives made by the owner.

There is also the birth of a baby and three people known as angels (as they restock nearby hiking stations) arrive at the farm. The next section becomes a metaphor for events in the book of Revelation.  The teenagers have access to food supplies and appear to be coping when a gang of men arrive with guns and threaten the occupants of the farm plus the parents who eventually looked for their children. As events look dire a helicopter descends carrying the owner and a group of armed men. Much violence occurs but the teenagers and their parents are rescued and decide that the roads should now be clear enough for them to travel to the house as previously planned and attempt to start a new life there. The teenagers make plans for a sustainable future, however convincing their parents of necessary changes proves impossible. 

In this novel there are references to many bibical characters and events, Noah, Moses, God, Jesus  plus the Apocalypse to name a few. However the main emphasis is on nature and the environment including the effects of climate change and what needs to be done to save the environment. At times the book can be very dark, at times there is humour. Being a book set in America guns feature more than they probably would in another setting.

 A Children's Bible: a novel is on the shortlist for the James Tait Black Award and consequently is one of the books studied in the Future Learn How to Read a Novel course for 2021. I suspect that the plot will create much general discussion.

Some interviews with author and reviews

 The Climate Gospel According to Novelist Lydia Millet LA Times 5 May 2020

The Author of A Children's Bible talks to Kristen Iversen Literary Hub 11 May 2020

A Children's Bible - Publishers Weekly May 2020

There will be flood - Book Forum Summer 2020