Of Men and Angels is his longest and most ambitious work of fiction yet, extending over five historical periods, from the earliest days of the Old Testament through to 1990s Los Angeles – so-called “city of angels”. Christianity has long argued that the fate of Sodom, and its neighbouring city Gomorrah, was the result of its inhabitants “embracing” homosexuality. What Arditti explores is how three millennia of homophobia has been based on reading motivations into the Genesis text that are, at best, opaque. Of Men and Angels, then, is a novel about religious hypocrisy. • Of Men and Angels by Michael Arditti is published by Arcadia (£16.99).

Source: The Guardian March 25, 2018 07:52 UTC