Man Booker International Shortlist 2017: Judas by Amos Oz

Next up in the review of shortlist books is Judas by Amos Oz. Both Book Worm and guest reviewer, Tracy, reviewed this book. I personally love Amos Oz but haven’t read this particular book yet (although I own a copy). Read the reviews below and make sure to check out the winner of the Bailey’s prize which will be announced later today.

Judas by Amos Oz
Published: November 2016
Original language: Hebrew (first edition 2014)
Reviewed by: Book Worm and Tracy
Find it/buy it here: Judas

This ARC was provided by Random House UK (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis from Goodreads: Jerusalem, 1959. Shmuel Ash, a biblical scholar, is adrift in his young life when he finds work as a caregiver for a brilliant but cantankerous old man named Gershom Wald. There is, however, a third, mysterious presence in his new home. Atalia Abarbanel, the daughter of a deceased Zionist leader, a beautiful woman in her forties, entrances young Shmuel even as she keeps him at a distance. Piece by piece, the old Jerusalem stone house, haunted by tragic history and now home to the three misfits and their intricate relationship, reveals its secrets.

At once an exquisite love story and coming-of-age novel, an allegory for the state of Israel and for the biblical tale from which it draws its title, Judas is Amos Oz’s most powerful novel in decades.

Tracy’s Thoughts and ratings: It was well- written. I found myself engrossed much of the time, but I just couldn’t connect with or like the characters. They just seemed so cold and disjointed from each other. This was probably intentional, as they had all been through various shocks.

I do like the many examples of Judas/traitor, but some of the research details could have been left out. It made me think a lot about how a person’s character determines their actions, and ultimately their life. It was a good book, but not a great one for me.

Writing quality: 4.5/5
Originality: 4/5
Character development: 2.5/4
Plot development: 2/4
Overall enjoyment: 1/2
Total: 14/20

Book Worm’s Thoughts and Ratings: In our normal rating system this would have been a 3 star book. While it is well written,  it is trying to do too many things at once and because of this it doesn’t actually work well as a novel. Other reviewers have complained about the repetitiveness of the narrative and this is a fair complaint. While I enjoyed the description of Shmuel’s style of walking the first time it was given, by the 5th or 6th time it had become boring. Yeah I get it his walk is funny now quit telling me how funny it is.

While Tracy would have left out the research details, I think I would have enjoyed this book more if it was an academic book debating the roles of Jesus and Judas in Judaism and Christianity. I liked the debate about what makes someone a traitor and how history often gives a false impression of what really happened, but I felt that the characters were more of a sideline than a central part of the narrative. This book was torn between being a book of academic research about religion and a political book about the state of modern Israel and the decisions that brought us to where we are now.

Writing quality: 4/5
Originality: 4/5
Character development: 2/4
Plot development: 2/4
Overall enjoyment: 1/2
Total: 13/20

Our combined score: 13.5/20

Ranked list of shortlist books:
1. Fever Dreams (18.5/20)
2. Mirror, Shoulder, Signal (17/20)
3. A Horse Walks into a Bar (15/20)
4. Judas (13.5/20)
5. The Unseen 13/20)

We want to hear from you. Have read this book? What did you think? Should it win the prize?