two hands gripping an old book

Originally posted on november 21, 2008 – by Andre Piet

It is not easy to write a reasonably objective review of a book written by a friend. Added to that is the fact that I rarely read novels, so my judgment will carry little weight for literary connoisseurs. But what perhaps does say something is that this literary thriller had me from page 1 and did not let go of me until page 563. De Maskilim is brilliantly written, literally a book within a book, with multiple layers and unexpected twists. Through the sharp observations the book reads like a film. Subtly dosed is the relativizing Jewish humor.

Despite its thoroughly biblical theme, De Maskilim is stylistically a “worldly” book. The language is sometimes coarse, there is much attention to glitter and glamour, and as far as erotic passages are concerned, it certainly does not fall short of the average adventure novel. The “minefield” of sexual temptation and “the weakness of the flesh” at times make De Maskilim a disillusioning book. The story takes place, tellingly enough, partly in a brothel. Just a few reasons why one will most likely not encounter De Maskilim in the evangelical bookstore…

Haaijman’s book is unique in its kind. Comparisons with The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown or The Last Trumpet by Tim LaHaye do not hold. In De Maskilim the light of “the holy Scriptures” shines in virtually every chapter. That is (for me at least) the true value of the book. A treasure of highly exceptional information on biblical prophecy falls to the reader of this thick volume. Amid thrilling adventures we encounter in-depth expositions on the successive Babylonian empires in Daniel 2, on the four beasts in Daniel 7, the year-weeks in Daniel 9, “the book of truth” in Daniel 10 and 11, etc. In passing we also receive Bible studies on the future role of the city of Babylon and the rock city of Petra in the desert south of the Dead Sea.

The truth of “the Scripture” stands in De Maskilim like a rock. In conversations it convincingly resounds that the book of Daniel is not a prophecy written after the fact and that monotheism lay at the foundation of the civilization of all peoples. I found the conversation between Zaza and Jakob Klein about the story of the star names breathtaking. And Jakob’s honest conversations with “the Eternal” are heartwarming.

De Maskilim is certainly not a “Christian” book in the usual sense of the word. At publisher Prometheus, which publishes works by authors such as Joost Zwagerman, Tim Krabbé, and Connie Palmen, that was not to be expected anyway. Yet De Maskilim nevertheless points to the Mashiach Yeshua who will come for his people. Around 2030? Who knows… It is the time in which the greater part of Haaijman’s story takes place, just before the onset of “the great tribulation.”

All human misery and folly do not detract one letter from what “is written,” that is how I summarize the message of this book. “On the cover of the book I see two hands gripping an old book” (p. 541). That is De Maskilim in a nutshell.

Heartfelt congratulations, Menno, on this masterful debut! We look forward to your next novel…

earlier announcement

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