A Children’s Bible

Synopsis: Twelve children are forced to spend an extended summer vacation with their parents and alternately feel smothered and neglected. The parents, old college friends, have rented a large lakeside home and spend their time immersed in drugs and alcohol. The children range in age from about 8 to 19, but most are teens who are happy to be ignored by their parents. The action comes to a head when a severe storm strikes, taking out power and society begins to break down.

Review: To be clear, this is not a bible, nor is it about religion. This dystopian `novel by Lydia Millet is ultimately an indictment of the adults of society who are ignoring the looming disaster of climate change and leaving it to the next generation to figure out. There are plenty of biblical allusions of course. Twelve children, a devastating flood, three wise men who arrive with gifts and more. This felt more like a parable, with extreme cartoonish characterization, all meant to serve a story and a moral message. And even though I get that this might be intentional, I just didn’t care for it all that much. It wasn’t lengthy, and parts were good, but in the end I was left feeling let down.

Rating: 3/5

Recipe: A vegetarian burrito bowl, made mostly with things you can store in your doomsday pantry: rice, canned beans, corn, tomatoes and spices. The goat cheese I sprinkled on top is not vegetarian of course, but if you read the book, you’ll understand the reference. I did this in the Instant Pot, but if the apocalypse comes and you don’t have electricity you could do it on the stove or even over a fire.

1 onion diced

1 carrot diced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1.5 cups long grain rice

2 cups vegetable stock

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can corn

1 can beans of your choice

For the avocado crema:

1 avocado

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cilantro

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons water

1) Heat some oil in the instant pot and saute onions, carrots and salt for about 3-4 minutes.

2) Add spices, rice, and stock and stir well. Put tomatoes on top but don’t stir them in (important as tomatoes on the bottom sometimes spark a burn notice.)

3) Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes, then manual release.

4) Stir in corn and beans

5) To make the avocado cream, combine avocado and all ingredients in food processor, or mash to desired consistency.

6) Serve rice and beans, garnish with halved cherry tomatoes, cilantro, roasted red peppers and the avocado crema.