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A review by veelaughtland
Judas by Amos Oz
3.0
3.5 stars.
Another Man Booker International 2017 book, and this one was the first that I had actually heard a lot about prior to the prize. So obviously I had very high expectations, which is more often than not a mistake. Ultimately, although I did like this book, I wasn't blown away, and doubt I would read it again.
We follow our main character Schmuel, who is in a problematic stage of life. His girlfriend has left him for her ex boyfriend who she has now married, his father is no longer able to fund his studies, and he is having negative thoughts about his Masters thesis and just the general point of it. So when he sees a notice on his university noticeboard looking for someone to sit and talk to an elderly invalid man, with full room, board, and a modest salary to do this job, he takes it up to pursue a more isolated, reflective life. He soon becomes sucked into the lives of not only the old man but also the mysterious older woman who also resides in the house.
Oz plays with some really interesting topics in this book - religion, politics, war, relationships, and my favourite, broody male protagonists. I really found the conversations on the subject of Judas, and the perception of Judas by Jews, to be really interesting, despite the fact that I usually don't enjoy books that are heavy on religious subjects. However, I did find that my interest waned a little towards the end - this isn't a plot-heavy book, and that's fine, but I wasn't particularly a fan of most of the characters. I also didn't really enjoy Oz's description of characters, particularly Schmuel, as it began to feel incredibly repetitive and unnecessary.
Overall this is worth checking out if the subject matter appeals to you, but if it wasn't for the MBI2017 prize, I probably wouldn't have chosen to pick it up.
Another Man Booker International 2017 book, and this one was the first that I had actually heard a lot about prior to the prize. So obviously I had very high expectations, which is more often than not a mistake. Ultimately, although I did like this book, I wasn't blown away, and doubt I would read it again.
We follow our main character Schmuel, who is in a problematic stage of life. His girlfriend has left him for her ex boyfriend who she has now married, his father is no longer able to fund his studies, and he is having negative thoughts about his Masters thesis and just the general point of it. So when he sees a notice on his university noticeboard looking for someone to sit and talk to an elderly invalid man, with full room, board, and a modest salary to do this job, he takes it up to pursue a more isolated, reflective life. He soon becomes sucked into the lives of not only the old man but also the mysterious older woman who also resides in the house.
Oz plays with some really interesting topics in this book - religion, politics, war, relationships, and my favourite, broody male protagonists. I really found the conversations on the subject of Judas, and the perception of Judas by Jews, to be really interesting, despite the fact that I usually don't enjoy books that are heavy on religious subjects. However, I did find that my interest waned a little towards the end - this isn't a plot-heavy book, and that's fine, but I wasn't particularly a fan of most of the characters. I also didn't really enjoy Oz's description of characters, particularly Schmuel, as it began to feel incredibly repetitive and unnecessary.
Overall this is worth checking out if the subject matter appeals to you, but if it wasn't for the MBI2017 prize, I probably wouldn't have chosen to pick it up.