A review by sharkybookshelf
The Gospel According to the New World by Maryse Condé

2.0

Baby Pascal miraculously appears on Easter Sunday - following rumours that he’s the child of God, he eventually sets off in search of his origins and life’s mission.

I probably would have appreciated this rather more if I was more familiar with the finer details of the Bible - as it was, I could tell that there were plenty of biblical references, but most of them were rather lost on me.

Now, if I don’t have all of the reference points but a story and/or characters are still gripping or interesting, that isn’t too much of an issue for me. But, while I did enjoy the distinctly Caribbean setting, I just could not connect with the writing - I felt held at a remove the whole way through and never felt particularly invested in Pascal and what happened to him or any of the other characters.

Frankly, on finishing the book I was left wondering what the point of it had been, which is never a good sign. Maybe this is a very clever book, but any cleverness and the corresponding commentary around (I’m guessing) love, the conviction of faith and finding meaning in life was entirely lost on me.