It isn’t looking so good for God or anyone else in Ron Currie Jr.’s courageous debut novel, God Is Dead.
God Is Dead
Ron Currie, Jr.
© 2007
Viking
God Is Dead
Literally.
In his debut novel, Ron Currie, Jr. offers a credible view of humanity through an incredible premise: God is dead. Literally.
God Is Dead begins with the end of the divine creator. Incarnated as a young Dinka woman, God travels through the Sudan, meets a raging, obscenity-spewing Colin Powell, and, following a Janjaweed attack, expires outside a refugee camp in the Darfur desert.
“Time and again the people still in the camp, realizing they were now trapped, called to God in a hundred different dialects. He laughed and cried at once. He had so many names, yet could not answer to any of them.
The planes flashed overhead. They pitched forward and dropped their payloads. God did not look up. He watched the dust storm, where great black horses materialized like wraiths, their coats slick with foam, their nostrils angry and flared. The men astride these horses swing wicked blades and took aim with their rifles. Their faces were hidden in checked scarves. The bombs whistled down, down. The ground shook. God closed his eyes and wished for someone he could pray to.”
Word of God’s death spreads. Humanity, desperate for something to believe in (and just plain desperate) resorts to suicide, child worship, and clashing scientific ideologies. Dogs start talking, war breaks out, and salvation is offered in the form of pills and infomercial products.
God Is Dead is darkly humorous, poignant and provocative. Currie’s cunning and boldness make for an engaging, appealing novel. His unique look at our life and times, teamed with his take on humanity in general, produce a work both modern and classic.
God Is Dead is highly recommended for all. Kafka and Vonnegut fans will be particularly impressed with the believable results that spew from an unbelievable situation.