The painful future stretched out before me. David would have the throne, the crown, the line of descendants that the Name had promised him. But for the rest of his life, he would be scalded by the consequences of his choices. My task would be twofold: to stand up to him, and to stand by him. To awaken his conscience, and to salve the pain this would cause him. [p. 194]
The life and deeds of King David, as recounted by the prophet Nathan (here 'Natan': the names are transliterated from Hebrew) and by an assortment of people -- including David's first wife Mikhal, his mother Nizevet, his brother Shammah -- who Natan interviews as part of his history of David's life. Natan's own prophecies are blank episodes in his account, and he doubts: "If David was a man after this god’s own heart, as my inner voice had told me often and again, what kind of black-hearted deity held me in his grip?"
For David, in this novel (and in the Bible's account of his life, to which Brook adheres) is monstrous. Rape, murder (including Natan's father and brother), robbery, betrayal and sacrilege; blind indulgence of his sons; fratricide. All seems plausible for an Iron Age chieftain, and much is recorded in the Bible. Natan is the one who, set apart from David's court by his prophecy and his chosen celibacy, stands and speaks truth to power. It's not an easy vocation, or a safe one. But Natan is sure that David has been chosen by God, and he sees the good as well as the bad: the charisma, the music, the joy.
This was a gripping read. I found Brooks' depiction of the Second Iron Age thoroughly credible, and the complex relationships between individuals compelling. I'd doubtless have detected more nuance, more detail, if I'd been more familiar with the Bible, but I didn't feel that I lacked any context.
Fulfils the ‘musical instrument on the cover’ rubric of the 52 books in 2024 challenge.
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