The Preservationist

Noah's story--Noe as he's called here--is reconstructed in this brilliant debut novel by David Maine. Until now, the characters have never seemed so haplessly human nor the tale so plausible. In Noe's time, rape, incest, prostitution, and moral squalor were the rule. Maine draws a powerful portrait of the 600-year-old Patriarch with all his grousing fanaticism in place. The dutiful building of the ark, the rounding up of pairs of animals, the ridicule of neighbors and their piteous deaths in the Deluge, and the day-to-day drudgery of life on a floating zoo are spoken by Noe, his long-suffering wife, his three sons, and their wives. A perfect fit for audio, Maine's witty, always credible monologues, performed by an exceptional cast, will draw listeners into familiar yet stunningly original territory. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

Starred review from June 14, 2004
Visitations from God are a mixed blessing for Noah and his family in Maine's spirited, imaginative debut. Noah (aka "Noe") may have pissed himself upon hearing God's instructions to build an arc, but he sets to the task without delay. He crosses the desert to buy lumber from giants; his eldest, Sem, fetches Cham, the son with shipbuilding skills; Sem's wife, Bera, and Cham's wife, Ilya, gather the animals; and Japheth, Noe's youngest, helps, too, in between goofing off and "rutting" with wife Mirn. And, of course, there's "the wife," 600-year-old Noe's once-teenage bride, who takes everything "Himself" (that's Noe, not God) dishes out with time-tested practicality. Wildly different in temperament, age and provenance, these characters, each telling part of the story, help create a brilliant kaleidoscopic analysis of the situation: the neighbors who ridicule Noe and clan; the inner doubts and shifting alliances; the varying feelings toward God, whose presence is always felt and sometimes resented. The flood comes as a relief from the wondering ("who is crazier: the crazy man or the people who put their faith in him?"), but hardship soon follows. Though the ending is already written, Maine enlivens every step toward it with small surprises. A story of faith and survival (think Life of Pi
thousands of years earlier with a much larger cast of characters), this debut is a winner. Agent, Scott Hoffman.