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Thursday 23 July 2015

Book Review: Bystanders by Valerie Volk

Review by Paula Vince


Bystanders is a collection of short stories, each one exploring a minor or incidental character in the Bible. It is a work of fiction written to encompass the Bible's information and extend it by imagination, to flesh out the people and enable readers to see the similarities between these people of long ago and ourselves.

At the end of the book there is a resource for further study, particularly for small groups, with questions to stimulate thought and discussion, furthering the reflective process the stories naturally stimulate.



MY THOUGHTS:
 
Fifteen Bible stories are retold from the points of view of observers who didn't have pivotal roles. This shift makes the stories multi-faceted, showing them in a whole new light.

Some of the bystanders are close to people who did feature most strongly. Esau's wife, Basemath, quietly fumes about the stunt her husband's twin and their mother pulled on him. The mother of Elisha's servant, Gehazi, wonders if her son's attraction to material goods was partly her fault. The father of the former blind man doesn't feel completely willing to thank Jesus for his son's healing, since it brought a decrease in begging earnings and trouble with the authorities.

Other bystanders happened to be nearby for whatever reason, perhaps in their line of work. The soldier who delivered messages between David and Joab gives his opinion on the king's dealings with Uriah and Bathsheba. The son of the bandit who attacked the Good Samaritan lurks in the shadows, watching the aftermath of the mischief.

Revisiting action through the eyes of people we wouldn't expect packs a powerful punch. They sometimes highlight how crazy the ways of God can strike people, compared to human wisdom. Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, ponders what appears to be a suicide mission to move the Israelites out of Egypt, when the only reasonable response would seem to be, 'It's not going to happen.' The man who could have won Ruth's hand explains why he chose to waive his family rights and let Boaz make the move as kinsman redeemer instead. A servant in the household of Mary and Martha describes the general sense of disbelief when the respected Teacher turns out to be a simple, uneducated country yokel from Galilee with a rough rabble of followers, who twists the prophets' words until they make more sense than before, if possible.

The bystanders also give the stories a feeling of immediacy, evoking time and place so vividly. I found it worth jotting down a few quotes from the unusual perspectives.

Pontius Pilate's wife, who'd known him since childhood, explains how he became a man 'whose name will be remembered in ways that he'd flinch at.'

A man waiting in the crowd to stone the woman caught in adultery looks at Jesus and reflects, 'If he truly wants to be seen as a man of God, he needs to pick up a stone himself.'

My favourite perhaps, is the line ex-Persian queen Vashti says of Esther. 'She might have saved the Jews, but she didn't do much for women.' That was quite thought-provoking, and got me laughing. The discussion questions at the end are worded in such a way to stimulate deep thought, rather than simple answers, so I'd recommend the book for any group or person who wants to delve beneath the superficial.



Paula Vince is a South Australian author of contemporary, inspirational fiction. She lives in the beautiful Adelaide Hills, with its four distinct seasons, and loves to use her environment as settings for her stories. Her novel, 'Picking up the Pieces' won the religious fiction section of the International Book Awards in 2011, and 'Best Forgotten' was winner of the CALEB prize the same year. She is also one of the four authors of 'The Greenfield Legacy', Australia's first and only collaborated Christian novel. Her most recent novel, 'Imogen's Chance' was published April 2014. For more of Paula's reflections, please visit her blog, The Vince Review.

10 comments:

  1. What a clever idea. Fascinating getting a (fictional) insight into some of those people who bystanders to significant events. We often don't spend sufficient time reflecting on 'what would we have done or thought' if we were eyewitnesses to such happenings.

    Sounds like it's definitely worth a read. Thanks Paula for sharing it with us.

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    1. Hi Ian, It's the sort of book to get us thinking in different ways, that for certain.

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  2. What a fascinating book. Thanks for the review Paula :)

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    1. As I was reading, I wished I had the idea myself :)

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  3. Sounds like a fascinating spin on Biblical stories. Will have to add it to my very large 'to read' pile :)

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    1. Mine is getting big too, Nola. I've started writing them down in a little book, and hope I'll get around to getting hold of every one.

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  4. OH, all these great books!! It's just too tempting. All right I give in this is far too good to pass up. I'll look it up right now. I love new ways of looking at old stories.

    Thanks for adding another must-read book for me, Paula.

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  5. I couldn't find it on Amazon, Paula.

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    1. I saw it on Amazon, Rita, as a $16.95 paperback, but not as an ebook. It's fairly new so maybe they're just getting stock. I bought mine from Valerie Volk's own website. But I think if you try Amazon again, you might find it now. Try typing in her name instead of the title. That's what worked for me.

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  6. Paula, great review! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us :)

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