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August 28, 2009
Part of peace puzzle
Book concerns a long-unsolved biblical mystery.
SARA NEWHAM
A great plot and exciting twists make Sam Bourne's The Last Testament a good overall read, but don't expect it to be a Jewish version of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code.
Such was the trap I fell into when I read the front and back covers extolling Bourne's 436-page tome as "the biggest challenger to Dan Brown's crown." As a fan of Brown's, I was intrigued. Admittedly, I was also seduced by the storyline. Set in 2003, the backdrop of the book includes a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians and the looting and trading of artifacts from the Museum of Antiquities following the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
At a rally for the signing of the historic deal, archeologist Shimon Guttman pushes through the crowd towards the Israeli prime minister. Believing him to be an assassin, bodyguards shoot him dead. They later discover he only had a note to pass to his old friend, the prime minister. The shooting sparks a series of revenge killings that threaten to thwart the peace deal.
Although it flits back and forth between several characters, times and places, the book essentially follows Maggie Costello, a former star U.S. peace negotiator-turned-marriage counselor, who is rescued from her boring life in Washington and parachuted in to save the accord. But before Costello can get down to work, she discovers that the murders are not at all random. Thus begins a chase around Israel to find the last unsolved riddle of the Bible.
The Last Testament provides a great sense of place. Whether it's describing the looting of the museum, an old market, the ancient walls of Jerusalem or a car chase, the reader can see what Costello sees and can virtually smell the scents and hear the sounds.
The book has several (minor) downsides, however. Firstly, there's Costello's own unhappy relationship, which never really advances the story. You feel as though it should have either been made a larger part of the novel or left out entirely. My vote is for the latter.
The relationships between characters are also cliché. Not to give away the plot, but it's obvious where the relationship between Costello and Uri Guttman (son of the murdered Shimon) is heading after a chapter or so. Bourne tries to make you doubt it along the way but, as a seasoned reader, I wasn't fooled. If I were a feminist, I would also be affronted by Costello's characterization and foibles.
The dialogue is stilted at times, which is surprising considering Bourne is the literary pseudonym for Jonathan Freedland, an award-winning British journalist who writes a weekly column in the Guardian, a monthly piece for the Jewish Chronicle and presents BBC Radio 4's contemporary history series The Long View. As a journalist, Bourne should be able to create top-notch dialogue in his sleep. But this was not the case.
It was difficult to keep up with the story, as it switched from place to place, time to time, and sub-plot to sub-plot. This can be overcome, however, by ignoring the time element.
Finally, there is one chapter – dealing with torture – that is particularly graphic and difficult to read. I wasn't sure whether it was the violent nature of it or the fact that Bourne, writing from a woman's perspective, can't quite seem to capture how a woman would feel in this scene and takes it too far.
Despite the clichés and the stilted dialogue, the book is a fun read. It hooks you early on and it moves quickly. Readers easily connect with, and root for, the central characters. With references to the Bible and Jerusalem's history, as well as Second Life, a 3D virtual world available on the Internet, the book is suited for almost all ages. Ultimately, with its ingenious storyline, it is possible to get past its weaknesses. If you're going to read it, do. Just don't judge the book by its cover.
Sara Newham is a Vancouver freelance writer.
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