Reading Joshua Max Feldman’s enjoyable debut novel, THE BOOK OF JONAH, I must admit that I was somewhat flummoxed. The book is based on the biblical tale of Jonah, recognized by most as the story of a man who sought to flee from God and for that effort spent three days in the belly of a whale. On Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, the story of Jonah is read by the congregation. I know it well, perhaps too well. And I know Jonah’s sad fable for other reasons. Misadventures at sea are still blamed on a crew member who is labeled a “Jonah.” Debates over whether or not the Bible is to be read literally often ask if a fish could swallow a human and then spit that person out days later. When asked that question at the Scopes monkey trial, William Jennings Bryan replied, “I believe it, and I believe in a God who can make a whale and can make a man, and can make both do what He pleases.”

"Joshua Max Feldman combines humor, tragedy and mystery in his entertaining and provocative view of post-9/11 America."

I confess that I kept looking for the literal events recounted in the biblical version of the story to be presented in Feldman’s work. Certainly his main character, Jonah Daniel Jacobstein, appears to be the Jonah of biblical fame. But beyond that obvious “no-brainer,” I struggled to equate the balance of the biblical Jonah’s experience with that of Feldman’s Jonah, an up-and-coming New York corporate attorney. I hope that readers will understand that my inability to interface biblical Jonah with modern-day Jonah did not detract in any way from what is an entertaining and thought-provoking novel. I trust that others who are more conversant in the Bible will read THE BOOK OF JONAH, and I eagerly await their insights gleaned from it.

Jonah Jacobstein represents the modern-day Jonah, a successful man who is unwilling to attribute any of that success to God. For the modern-day Jonah, God is found in the hallways of Cunningham Wolf LLP, the corporate law firm where he toils 10-12 hours a day, seven days a week, in his quest to become partner. His job is to help large corporations screw everyone, and he seems to have no qualms about the work.

Early in the novel, Jonah meets a Hasidic Jew in the subway. The Hasid suggests to him that God one day will reward the good and punish the wicked, a notion that Jonah finds disturbing.Jonah is content to lead a philandering personal life when not meeting the obligations of his legal work. He maintains a romantic relationship with his current girlfriend, Sylvia, but cannot quite terminate his relationship with his previous flame, Zoey. Sylvia, an equally successful, hard-charging businesswoman, represents status and financial comfort for Jonah, while Zoey represents a life he desires --- a life of drinking, smoking and guiltless sex.

While these women play an important role in Jonah’s travails, the true female foil to Jonah is Judith Bulbrook, a young woman whose life success is tempered by tragedy. It is the manner in which Jonah and Judith, two youthful American Jews apparently destined for great success, deal with calamity in their lives that makes THE BOOK OF JONAH a thought-provoking read.

Joshua Max Feldman combines humor, tragedy and mystery in his entertaining and provocative view of post-9/11 America. Perhaps the point of his biblical Jonah allegory is to establish that we all still struggle with the dilemmas of our relationship with God. Reading THE BOOK OF JONAH may leave you with many questions, which, in the end, makes this book worthy of consideration.