Moses in the Sinai rewrites the books of Exodus and Numbers by way of The Arabian Nights, Nikos Kazantzakis, and Cecil B. DeMille. It makes generous use of myth and history, ancient and contemporary. The Hebrews of the novel are a varied mob of outlaws, magicians, sorcerers, aristocrats, and idolators, all content with being slaves. Moses must lead them into the Sinai against their will in the hope of serving a God whose very identity he doubts. The Hebrews of this historical and imaginative novel inhabit a world where children are born in cooking pots, meat rains from the sky, fish talk, and prophecies come true. It is a world where human emotion can take miraculous forms. Moses in the Sinai is full of such miracles.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In this dark follow-up to her critically acclaimed novel Louisa, Zelitch returns to her first publishing house to offer a literary impression of the biblical hero Moses, painting his life as one continuous horror. In an opening scene, the baby Moses is abandoned for dead by his father, Amram, then disfigured and left with a stutter when his adoptive mother, the mad Egyptian princess Bityah, persuades him to suck on a live coal. After murdering an overseer as a young man, Moses wanders in despair amid poisonous snakes in Sinai until he returns to lead the Hebrew slaves to an unhappy freedom. There are more ghastly events to come; as Zelitch wryly observes, "Moses was doomed to live for a long time." The insane Bityah has a significant role, treating Moses as a pet and "my good baby" even as he approaches manhood. Later, her mad love for Moses and her bereavement after his desertion turns her brother/husband Merneptah's affection for Moses to hatred. Moses' family is harshly treated by Zelitch: his sister Miriam is "queen of the witches," while his brother Aaron serves in the temple of Seth, where he becomes the voice of the "god" and has homosexual relations with his mentor Nube. Zelitch excels in crafting atmosphere and descriptions, but even dedicated readers who are familiar with the biblical account will have difficulty following the story because of the multiple points of view and obscure symbols.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
When Zelitch tells the biblical story of Moses and the journey he led of the Hebrew people to Sinai, Moses is more truth seeker than leader. The mysteries of faith provoke him to philosophize and question God, hindering his desire to lead the slaves out of Egypt. His brother, the high priest Aaron, speaks for him and helps mobilize the people and guide them to their destination, but he, too, begins to question his capability. Ultimately, the people and the faith endure, but the theological questions that haunt the major characters in the novel--in particular, what is the name of their God? --humanize these larger-than-life figures. Occasionally one glimpses Zelitch's imaginative and romantic style, but the story line dominates the novel, which is unfortunate. In Louisa (2000), Zelitch more impressively showed her talent for combining harsh and earthy subject matter with graceful and picturesque prose. Still, those who care for her writing and fans of biblical fiction like Anita Diamant's The Red Tent (1997) will enjoy this book. Michelle Kaske
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The story of a God with limits,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Moses in the Sinai (Hardcover)
Written by award wining novelist Simone Zelitch, Moses In Sinai is a compelling story with its roots in the Bible, The Arabian Nights, Jewish legend, and the wonders of history. Men and women serve different Gods; Moses serves a God of justice, an Egyptian priest serves a God of ritual, and a witch served a God of murder. An overwhelming saga with profound impact, Moses in Sinai is also the story of a God with limits, hopes, dreams, and disappointment in the hearts of people. Moses In Sinai is very highly recommended and rewarding reading.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ignore the other reviews?,
By
This review is from: Moses in the Sinai (Hardcover)
The question mark is in deference to objectivity, but then I amnot here to be objective, and I will state I loved this book. This novel is a story of a world which is not ours, put aside the words of today and enter a world where what we "know" now was being formed. In every sense these characters did not know where they were going. We think we do, we look back and expect them to get "there", but Zelitch will not imagine it thus. We are with the questioning ones. Questions and riddles stud the book, and Zelitch is not going along with your answers. She is consistent throughout; this is a wonder to explore, so take off the blinkers of what you "know" and join a fascinating set of characters who were living the questions.
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