Review: A unique retelling of Noah's Ark
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 24, 2013
For as beloved as retellings are, it's rare to find a novel revolving around the Bible.  Religion is very taboo for many people.  Depending on your outlook, such books could either be labeled historical fiction or mythological fantasy.  I won't make that decision for you, but for those who don't like characters being inserted into religion, FORTY DAYS might not be for you.  It retells the journey leading up to the great storm from Noah's granddaughter Neima's POV.  The only other retelling of Noah's Ark I've encountered is Madeleine L'Engle's classic novelMany Waters (Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quintet), a companion toA Wrinkle in Time Trilogy.  I'm not really sure how over/under-done retellings are, but I don't often see religious retellings.  I was especially intrigued when I found out the story would be retold from a secondary character's POV.By seeing everything through Neima's eyes, readers can see the way everyone ridicules Noah and his family.  The women steer away from Neima when she does her laundry by the river or pretend she stinks.  They whisper and tell stories about the entire family.  Even Noah's own family is in a state of disbelief, believing Noah to be mad with old age, but willing to humor him...until he starts gathering up vicious beasts and filling his ark.  When the rain begins to fall, Noah's family is boarded up in the ark, leaving behind everyone else.  Neima dreams about her last memories of her friends and wonders why everyone save her family had to die.  How are they any better than everyone else, especially her friends with kind hearts?FORTY DAYS looks at the thoughts and feelings of one of Noah's granddaughters, who faced the ridicule and scorn firsthand.  Exploring her psyche adds a new layer to the tale told in Bible School.  We're taught all about Noah and his family and the ark, but never really stop to think about everyone else's perspective.  A twist late in the book reveals a new perspective altogether that will become the launching pad for FORTY NIGHTS, out this summer.  My only major complaint with the book?  I definitely wasn't expecting a cliffhanger ending when I picked this up, and being a novella, the two could probably have been merged into one longer novel.  Just don't go into this blind like I did and be prepared for the drop!  It will be interesting to see the way this new theme is embraced and developed as the second half of everyone's journey onboard the ark begins.  My favorite element of the novella was the way readers are able to so freely emphasize with Noah's family, fleshing out Noah's Ark in new ways, and it will be interesting to see how we'll care in FORTY NIGHTS, when the family is already onboard the ship.  I also like the way Parent chose to include only the animals known to Turkey, instead of every animal in the entire world, since Noah obviously wouldn't know about more-exotic animals far from home.  I'm hoping to see more on this as well in the second book!