Long Road Out of Ur

Author: Joe Thimell
Genre: Biblical Fiction

Something is rotten in Mesopotamia. A troublesome priest has been murdered; the pagan New Year's rites defiled; a royal tomb is robbed; and a would-be grifter, Lot, is in the wrong place at the wrong time. His father, grandfather and cousin are each likely suspects and Lot doesn't know who he can trust. Everyone thinks Lot knows where the loot is hidden and someone wants it all--even if it's over Lot's dead body.

"Long Road Out of Ur" retells the familiar story of the calling of Abraham and Sarah to the Promised Land through the voice of Lot. Yes, that Lot--the one who barely escaped the destruction of Sodom with his daughters--his wife wasn't so fortunate. This is not a Sunday school version of their lives, and they are not alabaster saints. Instead, it's a lively coming-of-age adventure tale crossed with a murder mystery and a heaping helping of social satire. 
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Can a two-bit con man change his spots? Or will his past destroy him?

Can a prodigal son and his prodigal father ever forgive one another? Or are some wounds just too deep to heal?

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Reviewer: Carol A. Brown

Long Road Out Of Ur is an intriguing book! I am by no means a biblical expert; on the other hand I’m not biblically illiterate. So, when the author presented a man that I know the bible describes as “righteous” as a low life, scheming, plotting cheat and scoundrel, I took umbrage, and prepared to defend the righteous! I thought, “How dare he cast aspersions on Lot whose righteous soul was vexed by Sodom!”
 
At this point my reading took on the attitude of a defense lawyer searching for loopholes in logic and details that required one to step outside reality. But the more I read, the more I put my hackles down. By the end of the story Lot moved more and more into a lifestyle that increasing aligned with godly values. I had to agree that the scenarios presented would explain Abram’s family’s willingness to abruptly leave the area of Ur and never look back. I felt it was a rather accurate portrayal of societies devoid of the influence of Judean/Christian values.
 
Then as I sat mulling the story, I also saw the connection with generations yet unborn! That same “scoundrel” gene showed up in later generations, and the propensity to look out for number 1, to lie, and to cheat. Just because Abram had a relationship with God, did not immediately solve the moral problems stemming from a tendency toward conniving. It was still present in the family DNA—the tendency toward conniving showed up in Jacob, and later violence in Levi and Simeon.
 
Characters were well developed. Scoundrels were painted in 3-D and Technicolor! I wanted the bad guys to be caught and after a while wondered if maybe God should do a rerun on the flood! The good guys were sweet relief when they showed up. It was difficult for me to keep up with all the foreign names and to remember who was related to whom and what the relationship was. Thimell did provide a cast of characters, but when you are reading on a Kindle, and are not particularly adept at using its features, I found myself recognizing names and hoping I would recognize the relationship from context. A paperback would have served me better in that regard. I would have been able to flip back and forth.
 
The plot was one twist after another—until I wanted to edit a few to get to where they left this God forsaken place! I would not say there were lulls or slow places in the plot as much as that I experienced mental fatigue from all the gyrations. Could one person survive all of that? Yes, I suppose so if the hand of God is watching out for you. Well written and thought out. The book cover was intriguing—in fact that was one element that drew me to read the book.
 
I appreciated the larger view of the era and some “back story” on Abram and Lot’s exodus from Ur.
 
Would I recommend it? Yes, especially to those interested in biblical fiction or cultural/societal types of books and to those who can cope with the tangle of foreign names.

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