Review: I'll never view Noah's ark as a children's fairy tale again
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 11, 2013
I like when a writer allows me to experience a well known event in a brand new way. Stephanie Parent opened my eyes to the reality of Noah's ark in FORTY DAYS. The seasickness. The smell of livestock. The complete darkness. She brought this story to life with such vivid detail that I'll never view it as a children's fairy tale again. She brought to my attention just how crazy and desperate the whole situation was. Noah ranting and raving like a madman. Corpses floating in the teeming water below. The non-stop clatter of the rain pounding on the wooden hull. These horrible conditions would drive anyone to despair.It's a lot to deal with and Neima is only sixteen years old. She gets swept away in the hysteria that engulfs her. The punishing storm descends and she is hustled inside the looming presence of the ark before she knows what's going on. Being the granddaughter of Noah, she's saved from the tsunami-like destruction, but not after enduring years of ridicule and scorn from her neighbors for belonging to the family of such an old fool. The massive structure of the ark has irked the villagers since Noah began his crazy quest, but what breaks Neima's heart is that he leaves them all behind to drown, declaring them wicked and deserving of God's wrath.Going through this epic catastrophe, Neima's moral compass is reset. She doesn't know right from wrong anymore. Her cousin tries to rape her, yet she admires how tenderly he interacts with his little sister. Her father ignores the cries for help as people press themselves against the ark begging for deliverance, but to her he's still the best man she'll ever know. Her mother wants her married off with her mind fixed on womanly pursuits, but she turns a blind eye when she catches Neima carving animal figurines with her bronze knife aboard the ark. Everything is mixed up and upside down on this fabled vessel, and Neima is having a hard time figuring out where she stands as the wooden planks toss and turn beneath her feet.Parent does a spectacular job in making the ancient world seem modern and relatable. People go through the same type of ordeals whether they live in B.C. or A.D. Time is just a marking point in history, but emotions remain the same. The heart-stopping ending is a cliffhanger worthy of such a famous biblical tale. When it all comes down to it, life is always about saving the ones that we love, and Parent beautifully and powerfully articulates that universal truth.