Holy Bible (Vanessa Russell, Sleepers)

It’s quite a bold move to name your book Holy Bible; it could pique curiosity or incite alienation. Let’s hope it’s the former, as regardless of first impressions, Vanessa Russell has made religious fervour interesting. Holy Bible is about the Bloom family and their utter devotion to the Truth. The Bible is their guide to life and rumour has it Jesus is coming, and soon, so those who aren’t baptised (the only girl in the family—Tranquility) face certain hellish damnations. Tranquility has numerous brothers who have all succumbed to their father’s absolute belief in the approaching Armageddon, but not Tranquility, who dreams of becoming a nurse in the city, away from the continual madness. I warmed to Tranquility and her mother, and was gunning for them both to triumph. However, a gruelling incident involving one of Tranquility’s brothers overshadows everything and creates a sinister undertone, masking the initial absurdity of the family’s situation. Essentially Holy Bible is the quintessential dysfunctional family tale, and even those without an interest in religion and sects will find it compelling and well written. The genre may be hard to categorise for booksellers, but Holy Bible is worth recommending to those who like their family dramas quirky.

Katie Haydon is a former assistant editor of Books+Publishing and a freelance reviewer 

Category: Reviews