The Book of Jonah (51 page)

When did you know?

 

V.
THE DESERT, THE OCEAN

 

 

Jonah walked from the room in the Aces High, through the parking lot—past the motels and bus stops and vacant lots—across a final strip of highway—and into the desert. He walked until the last of the road sank into the heat shimmer of the horizon behind—and Jonah saw in every direction the unbounded desert—the scrub clinging to its face giving its tracts the look of a vast, sealike rolling. And he lay down with his back on the scorched sand and with his face toward the sun, relentless and colorless—and he unfurled for the Lord his sorrow: “I never knew what it meant to be a man of God. I don't know what I've done, and whether it was according to your will or not. I don't know what the world is, and when I see you in it, it's only in glimpses. And there is so much more in the world I know is not you. How can I live in a world I can't comprehend? How can I serve a God whose will I can't understand? It would be better for me to die than to live.” And as a cloud moved across the dome of the sky, a shadow was cast across Jonah's face—and in the cool of this shadow Jonah felt a final mercy—felt all that was best in life—all that was good, and all that was holy—and in a few moments the sun had climbed higher and the cloud drifted away and the shadow was gone—and God said to Jonah, Is there not so much more under heaven than shadow?

And Jonah rejoined our vast and mysterious world.

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 

 

It's a privilege to have the opportunity to thank a few of the many people without whose assistance
The Book of Jonah
would not have been possible. I am forever indebted to Susan Golomb for seeing something in my writing and for supporting it in innumerable ways, as well as to Terra Chalberg, Eliza Rothstein, Soumeya Bendimerad, and Krista Ingebretson. Gillian Blake, my tireless and extraordinary editor, Stephen Rubin, Maggie Richards, Kenn Russell, Kathy Lord, Caroline Zancan, and the rest of the team at Henry Holt were fantastic partners in the creation of this book.

Michael Ellis and Lauren Popper Ellis provided valuable early feedback, and Sheila Dvorak Galione's insights were essential, as they've been for as long as I've known her. Caroline “Rolls” Hailey, Leslie Geddes, and Michael Geier helped ensure the characters could speak, and swear, correctly in a variety of languages. I am also grateful to everyone at the Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada for opening a window on the admirable work they do every day.

I was extremely fortunate to have had teachers—in the public schools of Amherst, Massachusetts, at Columbia University, and at Oxford University—who made it their business to give me a good education. This book is a testament to their hard work. I'm even more fortunate to have the family I do—people who supported and encouraged me in my writing when the rest of the world didn't even know I was doing it. Mom, Dad, Jon, Sarah, Aleigh, Jeff, Grandma, my aunts, uncles, cousins, niece and nephews, and in-laws—thank you for being there. The memories of my aunt Ruth, my aunt Franny, and my grandpa Harry were inspirations in completing this book. I also want to express my gratitude to my friends, all of whom are brothers and sisters to me, too.

Finally, the greatest good luck I ever had was at the old Yankee Stadium in August 2004, when I sat down beside a woman who has filled my life with joy and adventure ever since. Julie, without your generosity of spirit, your faith, your intelligence, this book could not have been written. I don't know if I can ever find a way to thank you for that—but I'm grateful I have a lifetime to try.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J
OSHUA
M
AX
F
ELDMAN
is a writer of fiction and plays. Born and raised in Amherst, Massachusetts, he graduated from Columbia University, and has lived in England, Switzerland, and New York City. This is his first novel.

 

Reading Group Gold

The Book of Jonah

Joshua Max Feldman

Discussion Questions

  1. In the biblical text of the book of Jonah, God instructs Jonah to prophesy the destruction of the city of Nineveh, yet Jonah tries to escape the divine mission. Although the novel is based on a story that is thousands of years old, how does it translate to a modern story that is relevant today? What are some of the themes that are common in the lives of both Jonah of the Bible and Jonah in the novel?

  2. Describe Jonah at the beginning of the novel and how he is changed after he starts having visions. Why is he no longer able to be the same person that he once was, no matter how hard he tries? Why do you think Jonah is “chosen” by God?

  3. Jonah's life unravels just at the moment when he thinks he has achieved everything he has always wanted. In the same way, Judith's world comes crumbling down when she feels that her life is perfect, then loses everything she holds dear in life. What is the purpose of loss in life? Do you think that one must be stripped of everything in order to find out who he/she really is? Or are the losses in life mere obstacles that challenge one to become the person he/she is meant to be?

  4. The story moves from New York to Amsterdam, and then Las Vegas. What are the characteristics of each location, and how does each unique setting act as the perfect backdrop for the different stages in the characters' journey?

  5. What is the significance of being naked in the context of the story? There are multiple references to the nakedness of others, and also instances when the characters examine themselves stripped down and unclothed. What does it mean when the Hasid says, “The body is clothed, but the soul is naked?”

  6. Judith says, “Maybe there is a person the world expects you to be, and all your struggles not to be that person are in vain.” What does the universe expect from Judith? From Jonah? What are the things that prevent them from being who they want to be? How does one really know what kind of person they are supposed to be? Do we decide who we become, or is it dictated by a higher power?

  7. Jonah and Judith's physical appearances change as the novel progresses. How are their appearances altered, and what is the significance of this change? How do their outward selves mirror what happens to them as a whole?

  8. Examine Jonah's relationships with Sylvia, Zoey, and Judith. What causes his relationships with Sylvia and Zoey to fail? Is his relationship with Judith any different? What do you predict for their future together? What do you believe are the core factors in a successful relationship? Do you believe in the fated “one,” or do you think that we choose who we want to be with?

  9. What is the role of faith in the novel? Do you think that faith is only associated with religion, or can it be linked to things outside of the divine? How do people come to faith? What were the things that Jonah and Judith put their faith in, and did this change at all during the course of their journey?

10. The novel ends with more uncertainties and questions. What do you think will happen to Jonah and Judith, and what do you think is the author's reasoning in keeping the ending open to interpretation? What does it mean when God says to Jonah, “Is there not so much more under heaven than shadow?”

 

 

 

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T
HE
B
OOK OF
J
ONAH:
A N
OVEL

Copyright © 2014 by Joshua Max Feldman. All rights reserved. For information, address Henry Holt and Co., 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

www.henryholt.com

Cover design © Rodrigo Corrall Design

The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

Feldman, Joshua Max.

    The book of Jonah: a novel / Joshua Max Feldman.—First edition.

    pages      cm

    ISBN 978-0-8050-9776-4 (hardcover)—ISBN 978-0-8050-9777-1 (electronic book)

  1.  Jewish lawyers—Fiction.   2.  Life change events—Fiction.   3.  New York (N.Y.)— Fiction.   4.  Psychological fiction.   I.  Title.

    PS3606.E3865B66 2014

    813'.6—dc23                                                             2013014308

e-ISBN 978-0-8050-9777-1

First Edition: February 2014

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.