A Children’s Bible feels a lot like what you would expect if you got to meet Jack and Piggy’s parents from the Lord of the Flies. William Golding’s classic is a study in innocence lost. A Children’s Bible had no innocence, to begin with. 

Don’t let the title fool you, Lydia Millet’s story won’t be mistaken for anything you will find in the Good Book. But, for those with eyes to see it, there are numerous biblical allusions to be found. 

The story traces the trials of 12 kids brought together through a reunion of their parents at a seaside Airbnb. The parents’ utterly debaucherous behavior further alienates and sickens the kids (though curiously their similar behavior doesn’t seem to bother them as much 🤔).

When a storm of apocalyptic magnitude strikes, the kids are forced to come to terms with their true feelings about their parents, their lives, and each other. 

Quote – A Children’s Bible

“They liked to drink: it was their hobby, or—said one of us—may be a form of worship. They drank wine and beer and whiskey and gin. Also tequila, rum, and vodka. At midday, they called it the hair of the dog. It seemed to keep them contented. Or going, at least. In the evenings they assembled to eat food and drink more. Dinner was the only meal we had to attend, and even that we resented.

They sat us down and talked about nothing. They aimed their conversation like a dull gray beam. It hit us and lulled us into a stupor. What they said was so boring it filled us with frustration, and after more minutes, rage. Didn’t they know there were urgent subjects? Questions that needed to be asked? If one of us said something serious, they dismissed it. May I please be excused? Later the talk grew louder. Freed of our influence, some of them emitted sudden, harsh barks.” 

My Three Takeaways

A Family Bond is Powerful and Dangerous

To say that the relationship between parent and child in A Children’s Bible is strained does not come close to doing it justice. Their relationship wavers between negligent and open hostility. 

And yet…a relationship is there. Despite how dire the circumstances become there is something of the family bond that remains. Evie (our narrator) and her brother Jack are close. And even, the thinnest shred of a relationship remains with their parents that becomes vitally important at the end. 

But, the story serves as a vivid reminder that the people we give our hearts to also possess the greatest power to hurt us as well. 

Removing the Log is Easier than Removing the Speck

The picture painted of the adults in this story is supremely unflattering. Their behavior is something straight out of Sodom and Gomorrah. 

And yet, time and again we see the same behaviors in the teens. The kids seem to be blind to the pattern being established. 

Jesus reminded his followers that the proper protocol was to first remove the log in our own eye before asking our fellow man (or parent in this case) to remove the speck clouding their vision. The kids in this story fall prey to the same failures that plague us all. It is so much easier to point out the faults of others than to recognize our own sins. Apparently, even when they are one and the same. 

Real Redemption Requires Real Sacrifice

A Children’s Bible is a very good book. But, in my mind, it isn’t great. The greatest stories are always stories of redemption. But real redemption always comes at a cost. And, I guess you could argue that a price was paid in this story – we can argue about that later if you want – but it certainly falls short of the Story alluded to in the book’s title. 

I’ve heard it argued that all great stories are derivative of THE great story, the story told in the Scriptures. I think that is probably true. What makes the Gospel narrative so compelling is that the Innocent One willingly suffers on behalf of His beloved. He accomplishes what we could not and secures our lives at the price of His. 

This is real redemptive love. 

Evie’s story told in A Children’s Bible casts shadows of this love, but it isn’t the real thing. And that’s ok. And on some level maybe that is the point. 

_{Photo by Matthias Groeneveld from Pexels}