Writing Biblical fiction has the challenge that the reader will likely already know the story, so there is not much scope for keeping the reader guessing about the ending. So one of the tricks is to find a new perspective of a very old story.
This story is the Exodus, with Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, through the Red Sea and into the desert on their difficult journey towards the Promised Land. Nicky takes the reader through the well-known events through the eyes of Joshua, who at this stage is still Moses’ servant, friend and protector.
As such, we can accompany Joshua on his journey of maturity and learning, as he comes to grow in faith and confidence. He is discovering what it means to follow, to lead and, ultimately, to have faith when there are very few obvious answers.
And that is where I think this book works particularly well. Through Joshua’s eyes we can experience the astonishing events of the Exodus, the miracles and the disasters. His place in a wider extended family offers us the chance to consider what the events may have felt like and how they impacted the day to day lives in the camp. We see how they handled the danger, doubt and conflict, alongside moments of humour, friendship and genuine tenderness. We see how extraordinary and difficult the Exodus must have been for those who actually experienced it.
Through Joshua we learn that faith isn’t treated as something simple. These people have witnessed extraordinary things, yet they still have doubts. That feels much more believable than having every character react to every miracle with complete and unquestioning certainty.
The Israelites are rightly not portrayed as some conveniently obedient crowd marching through the desert. They are frightened, tired, hungry, argumentative and sometimes downright difficult, in fact behaving in ways we can probably empathise with. There are families to be looked after, friendships to be maintained and disagreements to be settled – all while wandering through an unforgiving wilderness with no certainty about what tomorrow might bring.
And on top of that, there is a darker under-current of spiritual warfare that is constantly nagging and nudging the people in their complaining and discontent, that especially challenges the leadership.
The wilderness feels like a real place, a difficult place, rather than simply an anonymous backdrop to a series of Biblical events. A harsh environment that will only enhance the feelings of frustration and rebellion.
Through Joshua’s eyes, we see Moses as the heroic Biblical figure we might expect, but also we see his authority, humanity and vulnerability.
Into the Wilderness is the first book in a trilogy that takes the story right through to the arrival promised land, and I look forward to reading the next two episodes.
Into The Wilderness, by Nicky Heymans, is available here.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, but was under no pressure to provide a favourable review.
