There are two aspects of this story that I truly adored.

Firstly, it managed to bring the world of the Old Testament to life in a vivid and human way. From the grime and odors of daily existence to the violence, cruelty, and complexity of its politics, it all came alive for me in a manner that it never had before. Even though I grew up reading the Bible and later left the church, this story made that ancient world feel tangible.

The second thing was David's messy and sensuous love for Bathsheba, despite his age and imperfections. It's not that David's treatment of women was generally free from predatory or objectifying behavior. Poor Abishag, who was perhaps little more than a child, and poor Tamar, who was trivialized and discarded. However, the central love story was still remarkable for its combination of honesty, complexity, ugliness, and adoration.

This is a complicated book, and I think there is a lot that I didn't have the cultural context to fully understand. Nevertheless, it was a good and thought-provoking read. I had the sense that this ageing king, penning his complaint against God, would have empathized with a fellow disenchanted, lonely, and dying monarch like Queen Orual in CS Lewis's work. I was often surprised at how much one story reminded me of the other, despite their many differences.

This could possibly be my most favorite book of all time. The only real challenger is Heller's more famous Catch-22.

To me, it's sort of like a unique blend where the bible meets Seinfeld, told by a rambling old man. The dialogue is truly remarkable. Heller's seamless change of conversation from bible verse to modern phrases always had me laughing out loud. It has completely transformed the way I look at the characters of the bible. In a lot of ways, I now have a lot more respect for them!

I don't think I've ever been more entertained by a book in my life. The only possible turn off I could see (unless this take of the story offends you, but I'm a rather religious man myself and I actually felt this book helped me understand my feelings towards God) is that the story does ramble and get repetitive in places.

However, for me, that was a huge part of the charm. It was as if David was an old man retelling his life story. And if any of you have had multiple conversations with an older person with a larger than life history, you realize that they tend to wander and repeat. It felt perfectly in line with the story for me, and I just laughed at it. It's also something Heller does in Catch-22 as well.

Highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a unique and entertaining read that will make you think and laugh at the same time.

In Joseph Heller's novel "God Knows", the Jewish protagonist is an old man named David.

Looking back on his life, he experiences a mix of bittersweet fondness and mostly regret. His life has been turbulent, filled with numerous marriages, ungrateful children, constant conflicts with in-laws and relatives, and a sense that God has either forgotten or forsaken him.

The David in the novel is King David from the biblical account. He lies on his deathbed, kvetching about the mess his life has become, and in particular, his inability to perform sexually anymore.

Penis jokes are abundant throughout the novel, which combines elements of Thomas Pynchon, Woody Allen, and John Updike in a unique way. It is vintage Heller, being both serious and funny, seriously funny.

The novel is written as a disjointed series of memoirs from the perspective of an aging David. It covers every aspect of the biblical figure, including his defeat of Goliath, his many marriages (with a focus on Michal, Abigail, and Bathsheba), the battles and wars waged against him by his father-in-law Saul, the death of his first child that leads to his falling-out with God, and his concerns about his son Solomon succeeding him as king.

Heller manages to write a believable historical account while also incorporating anachronisms. David complains about Shakespeare's prose and how the Bard plagiarized his Psalms and Proverbs, and he also criticizes Michelangelo's statue of him for inaccurately depicting him with a foreskin.

This book is at times hilarious, moving, and downright sad. It is one of the best novels that attempts to bring the Old Testament stories to life. In Heller's hands, King David becomes a real, flesh-and-blood human being with relatable problems.

“All my life I have wanted to be in love.”

“God Knows” is truly a one-of-a-kind work. It is Joseph Heller's reimagining of the story of the Biblical King David as a bitter old Jewish man who is approaching the end of his life without his God and the greatest love of his life, Bathsheba. I must say right from the start that having knowledge of the Bible is a huge advantage (and perhaps even essential) to fully enjoy this text.

The novel is quite humorous, and on many occasions while reading, I couldn't help but laugh out loud or at least chuckle. Mr. Heller was indeed a talented writer. The conversations between David and his "wise" son Solomon are particularly humorous and are a highlight of the book.

Another interesting aspect is the numerous anachronisms scattered throughout the text. David refers to both 20th-century events and those from very ancient times. It's a clever ploy, just like the countless allusions and lifted lines from many of the greatest writers in Western literature, especially Shakespeare. There were so many lines from his works that I simply lost count. Other writers whose works I recognized (and I'm sure there are many I didn't) included the Romantic poets, Dickens, and others. David constantly complains about how many great writers plagiarized him, which adds an extra layer of enjoyment for the reader who catches these references. This also allows for an imaginative moment when we learn the "true" origins of the famous "The Lord is My Shepard" Psalm.

However, Heller does sometimes get bogged down in mundane details. Chapter 9 of this book is especially difficult to endure. The novel is good, but it's a slow read. The text could have easily lost 50 pages without sacrificing any of its quality.

“God Knows” presents a rather bitter version of David that some readers might not appreciate. It's not an uplifting book. The ending is sharp and poignant. A man misses his God and the love of a woman. It's not a story that one would want to experience in their own life.