Book review - The Gospel According to the New World
Maryse Condé, born in 1934 on the Caribbean archipelago of Guadeloupe, has written around 20 novels but is best known for her historical epic Segu (1984). Her latest novel, The Gospel According to the New World , shortlisted for this year’s International Booker Prize, is a parody of the New Testament. Condé says it is her final book. Her poor eyesight means she has to write each chapter in her head, before dictating the French text to her husband-translator, Richard Philcox — a process that gives the novel an episodic structure. Set on a modern-day, fictionalised version of Guadeloupe, T he Gospel According to the New World follows the fortunes of Pascal Ballandra, a messianic figure who travels the Americas searching for his real father and seeking enlightenment. As a baby he is abandoned in a shed and adopted by the childless couple who find him: Jean Pierre, owner of The Garden of Eden plant nursery, and his beloved wife Eulalie. Initially, unsure of his destiny, Pascal enjoys