A Children's Bible

A Children's Bible is a climate fiction novel by Lydia Millet that documents the experience of a group of children in the face of climate change as their parents fail to respond to a climate-charged hurricane.[1][2][3] It was her 13th novel.[1]

A Children's Bible
First edition
AuthorLydia Millet
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
PublisherW. W. Norton & Company
Publication date
12 May 2020
Pages240
ISBN978-1324005032

Plot

Context

Eve, the novel's narrator, belongs to a group of children staying at a large, rented estate with their parents for the summer. The children, mostly disgusted by their parents' hedonistic behavior, spend most of their time on the property of the estate, until a hurricane interrupts their activities. The parents are never named, and the book filters their activities through the perception of Eve and the other children.

Development and writing

Millet has said that the novel does not take place in an "alternate world, simply this one" and believes that words such as apocalyptic or dystopian used to describe the book apply equally to contemporary life.[4] Millet enjoyed writing the book.[5]

Reception

Critical reception

According to literary review aggregator Book Marks, the novel received mostly favorable reviews.[6]

The New York Times book review called the book a "potent allegory".[1] The Wall Street Journal review of the novel focuses on how the novel has humor in the face of a grim plot.[7] Time listed the novel as one of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2020.[8] Jonathan Dee, in the same New York Times review, compared the novel's setting to that of Susan Minot's book Monkeys.[1]

Honors

The novel was shortlisted for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction.[9] It was included on the list published by the New York Times of the best books of 2020.[10]

References
  1. Dee, Jonathan (2020-05-08). "An Epic Storm Turns a Summer Holiday Into Potent Allegory". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  2. Young, Molly (2020-05-08). "A Children's Bible and 9 Other Reads I Can't Get Out of My Head". Vulture. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  3. "'A Children's Bible' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2020". Time. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  4. Lorentzen, Christian. "There Will Be Flood". www.bookforum.com. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  5. Stern, Amanda (25 September 2020). "Lydia Millet: A Children's Bible". Writing Cooperative. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  6. "A Children's Bible". Book Marks. Literary Hub. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  7. Bobrow, Emily (2020-05-15). "'A Children's Bible' Review: Didn't It Rain, Children?". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  8. "'A Children's Bible' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2020". Time. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  9. "National Book Awards 2020 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. 2020-10-07. Archived from the original on 2020-10-24. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  10. "The 10 Best Books of 2020". The New York Times. 2020-11-23. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
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