Mosaic

I always enjoy Chris Aslan's books!  The plots grab my attention and I enjoy the pace.  Alabaster was the first book that introduced me to his writing and so I was keen to read Mosaic.  Whilst I don't think it surpasses Alabaster, I enjoyed reading about village life in the snow clad mountains about a Great Lake and Blood City.  I quickly caught on to the epic stories that gave Aslan his inspiration and enjoyed seeing him bring them to life.  This is a story about friendship and trust and lives restored and transformed.
I am not sure if I would recommend this book.  I think I would definitely recommend Alabaster; in fact I bought several copies for friends.  I can't quite put my finger on why but I found the intimate scenes in this book are bit difficult to read.  I think that would put me off recommending this book in particular - but I would still recommend him as an author to others.

MOSAIC by CHRIS ASLAN is the story of a young girl's journey from the highest village on the side of the Many Peaked Mountain to life as a merchant in Damascus. It is also the story of her spiritual journey, from being not very religious to earnestly following Yeshua, the Teacher, after she witnesses miracles, and also after she herself is delivered from unforgiveness and hatred.
The book closely follows Scripture which we find in Mark chapter two and Acts chapter nine, in particular; and Luke 12:52 "From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three", describes what happens to the five close friends, members of "the Hand", headed up by Tabita's brother Phanuel, when some are led to follow Jesus and others choose to follow the dead letter of the Law. We see how the Pharisees are threatened by Jesus and are all set to kill Him.
I like the "mosaic" metaphor as we see people from all situations in life, rich and poor, good and bad, accepted by the powerful yet humble Saviour of the world, the Son of Man.
I like the farming scenes. In them we get a real feeling of how hard it is to make a living in such extremely hard conditions, and how close knit the community is until they are split in two. The book is graphic in parts, which may offend some, but I feel that it shows how very basic life was at the time. I also like the pictures painted of the Sea of Galilee and the village of Capernaum.
The author has a good understanding of human nature and we feel what the characters are feeling.
I really enjoyed Mosaic and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Biblical fiction.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Lion Hudson Ltd. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

MOSAIC by CHRIS ASLAN is the story of a young girl's journey from the highest village on the side of the Many Peaked Mountain to life as a merchant in Damascus. It is also the story of her spiritual journey, from being not very religious to earnestly following Yeshua, the Teacher, after she witnesses miracles, and also after she herself is delivered from unforgiveness and hatred. I enjoyed reading about village life in the snow clad mountains about a Great Lake and Blood City.  I quickly caught on to the epic stories that gave Aslan his inspiration and enjoyed seeing him bring them to life.  This is a story about friendship and trust and lives restored and transformed. I like the "mosaic" metaphor as we see people from all situations in life, rich and poor, good and bad, accepted by the powerful yet humble Saviour of the world, the Son of Man.
 
I am not sure if I would recommend this book.I can't quite put my finger on why but I found the intimate scenes in this book are a bit difficult to read.  I think that would put me off recommending this book in particular. The author has a good understanding of human nature and we feel what the characters are feeling and this book may work better for different people. I like the farming scenes. In them we get a real feeling of how hard it is to make a living in such extremely hard conditions, and how close knit the community is until they are split in two. The book is graphic in parts, which may offend some, but I feel that it shows how very basic life was at the time. I enjoyed Mosaic and recommend it to anyone who enjoys Biblical fiction.

A poignant story made of many seemingly insignificant pieces coming together into a delightful work of fiction. 

“With her best friend Sholum dead and her brother Phanuel paralysed, Tabita struggles to imagine how life can go on. Blaming Phanuel and his friends for the accident that claimed Sholum’s life, Tabita harbours deep resentment toward her brother and even wishes him dead.
A trip away from her small village and into the Holy City helps change Tabita’s perspective, particularly when she encounters an incredible healer known as the Teacher. Not only does he have the potential to restore her brother, but he also suggests a way for Tabita to heal her bitter heart.
Will Phanuel walk again? Will Tabita ever be able to forgive? Will the Teacher escape the clutches of the religious teachers who desperately want to silence him? 
This powerful reimagining for the Bible story in which a group of friends lowers a paralysed man through a roof will make readers feel as though they were right there at the heart of the action.”

This is the first time I read a book by Chris Aslan and I have to say how pleasantly surprised I am by his writing. The style is quite unusual for me as it is in present tense and in first person but I eventually got used to it. Aslan describes mountain life in great detail and I am happy to learn what life might have been like up in the mountains during the times of Jesus. What was special about this book was how the plot mingled with stories in the bible like the lame man lowered through the roof and healed by Jesus, Jesus' death, the aftermath of Jesus' resurrection  and Paul's conversion. I enjoyed how the author wove these stories in and how he had covered so much without lessening the character's dimension. The author takes great care in setting up the characters and where they find themselves and how they behave. One is pulled in from the first page into the sharp turns of the plot.  

Most generally this book was excellent, however personally I felt the bedroom scenes were a bit too descriptive for my taste. It’s possible the literary style added to the intensity of the scene as I've never been gravely affected by bedroom scenes in books but I feel this one particularly left me a tad uncomfortable. Discernment is needed as this book is worth the read but if you are particularly sensitive you’ll likely have to skim over these parts. 

I rated this book a 3.5/5- 4/5 as it was very enjoyable with great characters that merge with many stories of the bible but again I felt that the sexual content was too overwhelming. 

Sexual content: Yes
Violence: Little to none 
Religious content: Yes 

Overall this book was pleasant and left me emotional more times than once. All the characters were delightful and nothing felt lacking in their personalities. The storyline was engaging with a few surprises here and there. An interesting read.

Mosaic Life In Pieces by Chris Aslan is a marvellous Christian historical novel that will enthral and consume you.
It is set in the Middle East during the time of Jesus and just beyond. Familiar Bible stories spring to life, giving men and women from the Bible fully rounded characters that are woven into the reader’s heart. Although we realise this is a work of fiction, the characters seem very real. I would recommend reading the Gospels alongside the story, to familiarise yourself with the minor characters.
Chris Aslan has a masterful pen. His descriptions of the scenes really bring them to life. The reader can ‘see’ the hazy heat and ‘feel’ the dust and the relief when a public bath is taken.
There is much relief when we wash the dirt and dust off ourselves but we need clean hearts too. “You can wash me clean but I’m still full of filth.” We must deal with our insides and love others and God as Jesus has loved us. If we love then there is no room for hate.
There are godly lessons to be learnt. We must love our neighbour and our enemies, practicing forgiveness at all times. “Forgiveness is choosing to cancel that debt.” We also live in freedom when we forgive.
We witness the tension between the followers of Jesus and the religious leaders. It is relationship versus rules. As persecution follows, things get very ugly. Families are torn in two. It is Jesus love that transforms not a set of rule keeping.
We see that life was hard. You needed a good harvest or a trade. If you didn’t work, you didn’t eat. When disaster strikes animosities are put aside as a community pulls together.
One touch from Jesus and people were healed. There was a shame attached to infertility in Biblical times. We see the joy but also the scepticism of some as the barren become fertile.
In the hard times it is easy to become despondent and question God. We must trust Him at all times. He will never let us down. “Life is pain. But God is still there.” When times look bleak, we can trust that God is still good.
Mosaic Life In Pieces was such a powerful read. I immersed myself in its pages that felt very familiar as Biblical stories sprang to life. It was a brilliant book.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.