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A review by astridandlouise
Damascus by Christos Tsiolkas
3.0
Adelaide Inner South Book Club - February Selection
I am such a big fan of Tsiolkas. I have read his entire back catalogue and in my opinion, he is one of Australia's greatest writers. Which is why it pains me to say how much I struggled with this book. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy or relate to the subject matter; raised Roman Catholic, have heavily studied Theology and similar to Tsiolkas I have grappled for much of my life with my own religious journey and beliefs. Yet I found myself so confused at what it was he was trying to achieve or convey through this piece of work.
I went in blind: I didn't read any reviews, listen to any podcasts, seek thoughts from others; I didn't want spoilers nor did I want my mind influenced before I could form my own thoughts and opinions. Reading it felt disjointed and I struggled to bring the stories together. I'd experience peaks (Lydia 57AD, Timothy 87 AD) and then troughs. Upon completion I wanted to understand Tsiolkas' drive in writing this novel and what he was hoping to accomplish. I then sought out all the podcasts I could find that could offer me some insight (I've listed them at the bottom of this review).
These podcasts changed the entire book for me. If I had known what I know now before I began the book, this review would've been different. Upon reflection, I think the subject matter overwhelmed and consumed me, reading from a perspective of religion when I should have been reading with the perspective of humanity. This book offers a much more realistic view of slavery, class and racism during the Christian era than what we have been shown through film reenactment etc. And it is eye-opening to notice that in 2020 we're still having the same battles with race, class and displaced persons that humanity were having in 66-73CE.
Were I to reread this now, having educated myself about Tsiolkas' relationship with both Paul and religion in general, I think my view and understanding toward the text would be quite different, as would this review. However at this point in time, I'm going to absorb the book as well as the podcasts conducted with Tsiolkas' and revisit Damascus somewhere in the future.
Stories Behind the Story with Better Reading (Christos Tsiolkas):
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/christos-tsiolkas/id1225214412?i=1000459820820
Conversations (How Christos found radical compassion): https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/how-christos-found-radical-compassion/id94688506?i=1000457862628
Soul Search (Christos Tsiolkas: Doubt on the road to Damascus):
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/christos-tsiolkas-doubt-on-the-road-to-damascus/id75423045?i=1000459354008
The Garret: Writers on Writing (Christos Tsiolkas: on Damascus):
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/christos-tsiolkas-on-damascus/id1168220938?i=1000457374442
I am such a big fan of Tsiolkas. I have read his entire back catalogue and in my opinion, he is one of Australia's greatest writers. Which is why it pains me to say how much I struggled with this book. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy or relate to the subject matter; raised Roman Catholic, have heavily studied Theology and similar to Tsiolkas I have grappled for much of my life with my own religious journey and beliefs. Yet I found myself so confused at what it was he was trying to achieve or convey through this piece of work.
I went in blind: I didn't read any reviews, listen to any podcasts, seek thoughts from others; I didn't want spoilers nor did I want my mind influenced before I could form my own thoughts and opinions. Reading it felt disjointed and I struggled to bring the stories together. I'd experience peaks (Lydia 57AD, Timothy 87 AD) and then troughs. Upon completion I wanted to understand Tsiolkas' drive in writing this novel and what he was hoping to accomplish. I then sought out all the podcasts I could find that could offer me some insight (I've listed them at the bottom of this review).
These podcasts changed the entire book for me. If I had known what I know now before I began the book, this review would've been different. Upon reflection, I think the subject matter overwhelmed and consumed me, reading from a perspective of religion when I should have been reading with the perspective of humanity. This book offers a much more realistic view of slavery, class and racism during the Christian era than what we have been shown through film reenactment etc. And it is eye-opening to notice that in 2020 we're still having the same battles with race, class and displaced persons that humanity were having in 66-73CE.
Were I to reread this now, having educated myself about Tsiolkas' relationship with both Paul and religion in general, I think my view and understanding toward the text would be quite different, as would this review. However at this point in time, I'm going to absorb the book as well as the podcasts conducted with Tsiolkas' and revisit Damascus somewhere in the future.
Stories Behind the Story with Better Reading (Christos Tsiolkas):
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/christos-tsiolkas/id1225214412?i=1000459820820
Conversations (How Christos found radical compassion): https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/how-christos-found-radical-compassion/id94688506?i=1000457862628
Soul Search (Christos Tsiolkas: Doubt on the road to Damascus):
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/christos-tsiolkas-doubt-on-the-road-to-damascus/id75423045?i=1000459354008
The Garret: Writers on Writing (Christos Tsiolkas: on Damascus):
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/christos-tsiolkas-on-damascus/id1168220938?i=1000457374442