Scan barcode
A review by thebobsphere
The Instructions by Adam Levin
5.0
Followers of this blog know I like a good challenge (no whether I see them through is different but my intentions are always the best!) I have decided to read all my chunky books (to date I have 14) I decided to start with the thickest book and one I had for a long time: The Instructions : 1030 pages and has been on the TBR pile since it’s publication date in 2010.
Meet Ben Gurion Maccabee. He is ten years old, likes to fight, has been expelled from 3 different schools for violent acts , although he justifies each act, is an Israelite, has his own way of speaking and is the son of a lawyer and therapist.
Oh and he thinks he may be the messiah.
This is the crux of the book. The novel starts with Gurion fighting with another pupil in the changing rooms and once in detention he falls in love with Eliza June Watermark. At the same time he is slowly building up an army in order to protect all Israelites, this is done by sending religious missives detailing solidarity and with instructions on how to build homemade weapons. He has his own gang in the special classroom – one for children who are troubled or have special needs and throughout the book he gathers more followers who they brand The Side of Damage.
The Side of Damage’s moment arrives when one of the school bullies, also a jock is going to perform a pop song in the gymnasium, which is also going to be filmed as a music video and broadcast on TV. Chaos reigns and a price is paid.
On the surface you could say it’s a tale about intellectuals vs jocks but the instruction is much more than this. It’s an exploration on the concept of a Messiah, what makes one? how do we know if there is one in our midst? Whether thinking that being one is egotistic? The book also discusses Jewish identity , Who has a right to convert a gentile? The self-hating Jew and whether Israelites need protecting. Oh and love plays a part as well.
Adam Levin has an eye for detail, in fact this book is filled with details, lots of them. The most simple actions go on and that’s not mentioning the big set pieces of the novel, namely the war which takes up the last third of book. This is not a criticism, the detail is brilliant and I can guarantee that it’s easy to be caught up in all the madness that’s going on in the book.
I also liked the use of language, Gurion speaks in a dialect that’s part Yiddish, part kid slang and part made up language based on his observations – teachers are robots , putz and schvontz are used, hyperscoot is scooting on one’s chair etc.
One aspect of Wes Anderson’s films that I like is when in Moonrise Kingdom and Rushmore, he makes kids create organised committees and elaborate plans, like what adults do. Gurion is a master at this, with his armies, plans for taking over, the myriad of ideas that go through his head. The Instructions itself are the missives he sends to his followers. Gurion is a master at delegating, creating and influencing – this makes The Instructions fun to read.
Combining the philosophical dressing of peanuts, the rudeness of South Park , The Jewish sentiments as expressed by Philip Roth (who has a part to play in the novel) and the anarchy of Lindsay Anderson’s 1968 school satire If… The Instructions is a debut that has definitely made it’s mark on experimental literature. I had to end with this quote:
He’s not the Messiah but a very naughty boy
Meet Ben Gurion Maccabee. He is ten years old, likes to fight, has been expelled from 3 different schools for violent acts , although he justifies each act, is an Israelite, has his own way of speaking and is the son of a lawyer and therapist.
Oh and he thinks he may be the messiah.
This is the crux of the book. The novel starts with Gurion fighting with another pupil in the changing rooms and once in detention he falls in love with Eliza June Watermark. At the same time he is slowly building up an army in order to protect all Israelites, this is done by sending religious missives detailing solidarity and with instructions on how to build homemade weapons. He has his own gang in the special classroom – one for children who are troubled or have special needs and throughout the book he gathers more followers who they brand The Side of Damage.
The Side of Damage’s moment arrives when one of the school bullies, also a jock is going to perform a pop song in the gymnasium, which is also going to be filmed as a music video and broadcast on TV. Chaos reigns and a price is paid.
On the surface you could say it’s a tale about intellectuals vs jocks but the instruction is much more than this. It’s an exploration on the concept of a Messiah, what makes one? how do we know if there is one in our midst? Whether thinking that being one is egotistic? The book also discusses Jewish identity , Who has a right to convert a gentile? The self-hating Jew and whether Israelites need protecting. Oh and love plays a part as well.
Adam Levin has an eye for detail, in fact this book is filled with details, lots of them. The most simple actions go on and that’s not mentioning the big set pieces of the novel, namely the war which takes up the last third of book. This is not a criticism, the detail is brilliant and I can guarantee that it’s easy to be caught up in all the madness that’s going on in the book.
I also liked the use of language, Gurion speaks in a dialect that’s part Yiddish, part kid slang and part made up language based on his observations – teachers are robots , putz and schvontz are used, hyperscoot is scooting on one’s chair etc.
One aspect of Wes Anderson’s films that I like is when in Moonrise Kingdom and Rushmore, he makes kids create organised committees and elaborate plans, like what adults do. Gurion is a master at this, with his armies, plans for taking over, the myriad of ideas that go through his head. The Instructions itself are the missives he sends to his followers. Gurion is a master at delegating, creating and influencing – this makes The Instructions fun to read.
Combining the philosophical dressing of peanuts, the rudeness of South Park , The Jewish sentiments as expressed by Philip Roth (who has a part to play in the novel) and the anarchy of Lindsay Anderson’s 1968 school satire If… The Instructions is a debut that has definitely made it’s mark on experimental literature. I had to end with this quote:
He’s not the Messiah but a very naughty boy