Reviews

The Death of Jesus by J.M. Coetzee

p_t_b's review

5.0

i was mystified by these three books. they are a mixture of unremarkable and in some cases unpromising ingredients (i do not like it when novels have big bald patches full of philosophy; philosophy doesn't have anything at stake) (neither do stories, but stories can trick you). i am not sure about a lot of the choices coetzee made (the world of this trilogy is some vaguely austere but functional social democracy where everyone speaks beginner's spanish and seems to have everything they need and there are not really rich people). but in this book, as with the other two, i found myself spellbound by the way he carefully/easily drops a tidbit from the gospels into a different context - not a radically different context, but different enough to really jar my received understandin gof that tidbit. these are not didactic books and i dont know if i would even call them necessarily christian books. they are not religious in the sense of preaching or proselytizing, yet i experienced them as resonant reimaginations of the idea(s) of what or who jesus is, or can be, and whether those ideas actually fit inside one imaginary person. well now i have to find something else to read.

jimio's review

challenging sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

ania2204's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

blairmahoney's review against another edition

5.0

A brilliant conclusion to the trilogy. It's hard to sum up just why I like these works so much. They're seemingly very simple narratives about a child, David, and the people who care for him, but everything is just a little off-kilter, including the prose. This final volume seems to finally gesture towards the title when David dies and his cause gets taken up by people who believe that he had some kind of message to convey, but I think you're missing the point a little if you're looking for straight Biblical analogies between David and Jesus. There are some wonderful stories that David tells in this volume as he lies in his hospital bed, purportedly about Don Quixote, with whom he is obsessed, that come across as twisted parables. There is also a conspicuous absence of organised religion in the world that David and his de-facto father Simon find themselves in. At the very end of the novel, Simon notices that David's stolen library copy of Don Quixote has a slip of paper for feedback that asks 'What is the message of this book? What will you most remember of it?' It's the perfect question to be left with at this enigmatic work of genius. We're left with so many questions, as we should be by great literature.

leechii's review

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

rutgervdp's review against another edition

4.0

An intriguing book about a special boy and how he affects the people around him. Though seemingly simple at first glance, there's a lot to discover in its themes and metaphors. There's intertextuality on various levels between this book and Cervantes' Don Quijote de la Mancha, giving it an extra layer of intricacy.

pickle_burner's review against another edition

4.0

What an odd and most lovely set of three books. A retelling of Jesus with no actual direct reference to Jesus. Imagine a gospel of Don Quixote. Imagine a reimagining of the Christ story that is written like a parable or allegory, but that is too specific for either of those forms. More moving than “A Prayer for Owen Meany,” more grounded than “Lamb,” a thornier wrestling partner than “The Road.” It’s the kind of book I will wake up at three in the morning thinking about…

bub_9's review against another edition

1.0

Sigh. This was so dispiriting to read. To heap upon the criticisms I make in the reviews of the earlier two volumes, the Jesus allusions are far too explicit and not nearly meaningful enough.

Also ... wHY DID THIS NEED TO BE THREE BOOKS

textpublishing's review

The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of The Death of Jesus

‘Whenever I want to destroy the world in my head in order to discover an invisible truth, I am sure I will pick up this book again.’
Sayaka Murata

‘A phenomenal achievement in fiction…The narrative is consistently moving and profound, and incredibly self-sufficient. It creates its own rules and contains everything it needs. To me the journey of the boy David and those around him came across as a fable about our inspiring but ultimately doomed search for meaning. It states the importance of caring for each other, of committing to care, even when social struggle and the worst tendencies of the human spirit get in the way. And in the end literature itself proves to be the strongest tool for meaning and maybe transcendence. I’m eager to read the whole thing again.’
Daniel Galera

bettyvd's review against another edition

4.0

Hoewel het woord dood in de titel staat, was ik toch verrast en zelfs wat ontdaan door de dood van David. Zo goed doet Coetzee dat. De laatste 20 pagina's mochten er wat mij betreft af: te expliciete verwijzingen naar het Jezus verhaal, te veel uitleg in vragen.