The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal

I’ve always been a fan of Bible stories. I don’t know if this is the result of thirteen years of Catholic school or the fact that they’re actually pretty darn good stories if you think about them. Anyroad, I just started reading Christopher Moore’s “Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal”, and I must say its one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in many years. The book is an irreverent take on the traditional Bible stories along with some “fill in the gaps” stories from the perspective of the narrator, Biff, who as the title states is Christ’s childhood pal. The book is a riot and has had me in splits from the first page. If you liked Shashi Tharoor’s “The Great Indian Novel”, you’ll love The Gospel According to Biff. The structure of both novels is similar – take a historical book viewed as THE religious text by millions, and add generous amounts of humor. Even if you’re not fully up to speed on your Christianity, there’s plenty in this book to love. I’d put this book on anyone’s must read lists (and if you haven’t read The Great Indian Novel, make sure you read that too!).