Lamb: A Novel

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Tom is seen through the eyes of David, and as such she is more a vessel and less her own character. This is a poor move, as it makes it hard to understand and like her beyond sympathy with general troubled-young-girl tropes. I suppose what's important to the novel is what Tommie is to David, and her role in that regard is very clear. But it's a little unsettling to read a novel like this where the victim remains so blank, where my dislike for the protagonist is so much stronger than *any* feeling I have about his victim. I’m not sure words can accurately depict how I feel about this novel, other than to say that I really liked it DESPITE its severely disturbing nature. Nadzam’s literary voice is stunning; I’ve never read a novel that so accurately characterized its cast through mostly short, snappy dialogue. It was utterly genius because the purpose it served was to truly illustrate the manipulative nature of child predators. That Nadzam was able to get into the mind of someone this twisted, and illustrate his beguiling nature is rather incredible to me. Barraclough, Leo (February 8, 2019). "Noomi Rapace Boards Supernatural Drama 'Lamb,' Sold by New Europe (Exclusive)". Variety . Retrieved July 5, 2021.

Lamb by Bonnie Nadzam | Goodreads Lamb by Bonnie Nadzam | Goodreads

Barraclough, Leo (June 23, 2020). "Noomi Rapace Supernatural Drama 'Lamb' Sells Across Europe (Exclusive)". Variety . Retrieved March 22, 2021. Mitchell, Wendy. "Buyers feast on Icelandic drama 'Lamb' (Exclusive)". ScreenDaily . Retrieved July 27, 2021. I read this in less than four hours, with a phone call in between. (I had to take a break at some point from the disturbing content.) At one point I told my friend that I had to take a break from the book I was reading. She asked, "Why?" I said, "Because I'm finding myself in the mind of a pedophile."

Reader Reviews

Anyone who can look past its irreverence will recognize LAMB as both highly entertaining and surprisingly thoughtful.”

Lamb Poem Summary and Analysis | LitCharts The Lamb Poem Summary and Analysis | LitCharts

Lamb was lent to me by a friend who told me that it was about a pedophile. Before she read it, she had read a review on it also saying that it was about a pedophile. I'm curious as to whether either of us would have come to that conclusion alone. While I think it's obvious that Lamb's actions are inappropriate and criminal, I also think that there's a lot of gray area in the novel -- while I never questioned that Lamb's motives were disgusting, at some points I could almost see why he did what he did, or at least understand that temptation. That was the most disturbing part of reading Lamb, and what Nadzam did most successfully. Diciamo che il giorno successivo non c’erano tutte quelle torri fatte d’acciaio zincato ai bordi della statale. Niente pali del telefono. Niente cavi. Diciamo che il furgone di Lamb e la statale erano le ultime vestigia del mondo reale. La strada era sommersa d’erba e fiori aromatici, cipolle selvatiche e sempiterni. Dalle morbide bocche dei penstemon e dalle sonnolente teste viola delle clematidi. Fu in un paesaggio del genere che oltrepassarono la linea del Midwest oltre la quale il cielo si spalanca, all’improvviso infinito, all’improvviso di un azzurro quasi spaventoso. I guess most people's first thought upon hearing of a fifty-four year old man and an eleven-year old girl is to think of Lolita-like scenarios. But honestly, I was personally thinking and expecting more of Mel Gibson in The Man Without A Face or Hugh Grant in About A Boy.

Moore writes with a kind of reverent irreverence—he’s got a keen eye for the absurd but leavens it with a child’s sense of wonder … [Lamb is] his best book so far.”