Literary Life | The Childhood of Jesus by J. M. Coetzee

The Childhood of Jesus has to be one of the oddest books I think I have ever read. I picked it up because I've read and studied J. M. Coetzee's work in the past, and found it provoking. I assumed, perhaps naively, that this book would follow on somewhat similar lines.

 

It may be that I have simply not grasped the messages Coetzee sought to send out. Perhaps The Childhood of Jesus goes over my head and I do not possess a philosophical enough brain to understand it. The thing is, there is a lot I do not understand but that I can still gain enjoyment from. I sadly gained little enjoyment from reading this book. That is not to say it is not written well - I doubt Coetzee could produce anything that was written badly - it just did not provide enjoyment in the way I had imagined.

The plot is interesting. It starts with a man and a boy coming over to a seemingly socialist city. They have been assigned names - Simón and David - and ages, too. The society they reach is simple in a sense and Simón seems to be unable to fit in, with his fondness for the past. David, the boy, I found to be largely unlikable as a character, though many other reviewers have suggested that this in part a purposeful decision. For example one review I read suggested our difficulty in sympathising with David could be Coetzee asking us to take check of how easily and cooperatively we as human beings conform. Whatever the reason, it made the process of reading and reaching the end a more tedious process than I am used to.

 

Perhaps I am too easily pleased; a satisfactory, sympathetic main character, an illustrious romance and a few grisly murders are perhaps all I need to enjoy a good book. I like to think that I try and read books from various genres and a range of authors but it would be impossible for me to like every book my eyes wash over. I am not a fan of Wuthering Heights for example, but the book itself remains a classic. At the end of the day, it is a matter of personal taste and The Childhood of Jesus did not complement mine.

 

As is commonplace with my book reviews, I have selected a quote from the novel. I have selected a passage of speech between Eugenio and Simon, in one of their heated philosophical debates.

I studied History and English at university so this challenge to history and its place in society certainly intrigued me. These types of loaded questions are what I have come to associate with Coetzee and the debates about philosophy were without a doubt my favourite parts of the book.

 

If you have read this book, or indeed anything else by Coetzee, let me know your thoughts. I'd love to know if anyone has had a similar experience!