About the Book

In his striking novel, "Not Wanted on the Voyage," Timothy Findley forces the reader to consider what many of us try to avoid: the validity of Scripture. This is not meant to suggest that Findley advocates the dismissal of religion as either outdated or ridiculous. Rather, the novel takes a much more human approach to the sterile telling of the flood narrative as told in Genesis.

In his prologue Findley writes of the biblical Noah and the Arc story:

To begin with, they make it sound as if there wasn't any argument; as if there wasn't any panic -- no one being pushed aside -- no one being trampled -- none of the animals howling -- none of the people screaming blue murder. They make it sound as if the only people who wanted to get on board were [Noah] and his family. Presumably, everyone else (the rest of the human race, so to speak) stood off waving gaily, behind a distant barricade: SPECTATORS WILL NOT CROSS THE YELLOW LINE and… [with] all the baggage neatly labelled: WANTED or NOT WANTED ON THE VOYAGE.

But enough scholarly criticism. Although this is a relatively old book (copyright 1984), it continues to be one of my favorites. It contains all of the elements needed to give a novel a little excitement: a good boy gone bad; a god and a fallen angel; a boy dyed blue; a wife who refuses to sleep with her husband; cannibalism; and a revolution. Add in the confines of an arc and you have all the makings of a truly suspenseful and (I admit it) weird story. And the best thing is, as you read along it only gets weirder! But I must warn you, this novel is not for the faint of heart (and is not intended for children: think of it as having an "R" rating).

In essence, the novel follows the story of Noah as told in Genesis; but with a few twists. What if God really did interact with humans on a tangible level as the Old Testament insists? And what then happens to that God when His people no longer love Him (ladies, I'm sorry to say that in Findley's retelling god is a man)? Findley takes this "humanization" further, however. Perhaps Noah and his family, like all people, are imperfect. What then does this imply about not only the readers as Noah's ancestors, but also of our religions?

Findley is an exquisite writer who puts a great deal of consideration into all of his work. He is a meticulous researcher whose attention to detail is apparent. While preparing to write this novel, Findley even went so far as to crawl on a beach, meowing, in an attempt to better understand the perspective of one of the story's characters.

Technically, aesthetically, and emotionally Not Wanted on the Voyage is an incredible story. There is just something about it that makes it unforgettable. Perhaps it is the way in which the novel forces us to reconsider how we read the Bible, or maybe it is simply that it tells an incredible story in such a moving and meaningful way. Which ever it is, Not Wanted on the Voyage is sure to be a novel you will tell your friends about; even if it is only to complain about how monstrous some of the characters are.