06/21/2021
Prather’s brisk, lighthearted satirical novel doesn’t condemn organized religion per se as it targets three individuals who fail to live up to their own ideals. Religious Studies Professor Haley Berkshire rejects all belief systems and denies the existence of any deity. Berkshire’s sin is pride, her PhD functioning as revenge against an anti-intellectual family. When she uncovers an apocryphal gospel rejected from inclusion in the Bible (The Gospel According to Trevor), Berkshire fixates on its account of Jesus enduring a heretofore unknown wound during the crucifixion. “As God is my witness,” she declares at an academic conference, “I will discover the Testicle of Christ!”
Her quest for this holy relic attracts several followers, eager to renew their faith. Catholic priest Brian William Callum Robert O’Shea faces lust for the first time in decades and steps onto a slippery slope by befriending perky stripper Simone, who joins him on an eye-opening road trip. Homeless veteran Jesse Morales worries about sloth, convinced he’s the Second Coming of Christ–and an ineffectual messiah at that. His odyssey activates long dormant memories, and forces him to confront stifling fears. While Berkshire and O’Shea maintain a scholarly distance, Morales lives out their conviction that religion’s true purpose is engendering compassion.
Prather (The Adminisphere) on occasion unleashes the scathing incredulity of a merciless satirist like Carl Hiaasen, but for the most part he displays genuine affection for his bewildered characters. (Not so much for moralizing evangelists like Jerry Falwell Jr.) After expressing self-doubt, O’Shea and Morales are rewarded with bittersweet acknowledgments of imperfection, though Berkshire’s intractable righteousness makes her transformation more nuanced. She becomes known as The Jesus Nut for pursuing it, and must rethink her own views about belief. The quixotic journey provides, if not enlightenment, at least some unexpected blessings in Prather’s funny and charitable satire of religious zealotry and moral certitude.
Takeaway: This irreverent but empathetic satire offers a comic look at flawed humans in the pursuit of God.
Great for fans of: Christopher Moore’s Lamb: The Gospel according to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, Roland Merullo’s Breakfast With Buddha.
Production grades Cover: B Design and typography: A Illustrations: N/A Editing: A- Marketing copy: B+