Name: The Dirty Parts of the Bible by Sam Torode
Item: The Dirty Parts of the Bible
Author: Trenzle Review

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It is 1939, and Tobias is a sheltered 19-year-old from Remus, Michigan when his father, a fire-and-brimstone Baptist preacher, wraps his car around a drunk motorist and is rendered blind. This incident is depicted in Sam Torode’s book The Dirty Parts of the Bible. The preacher was a very accomplished and successful musician when he was younger.

But after getting his head stomped by a cow, he discovered God and buried the money because he could not bear the thought that it had been obtained via bad means. Tobias’s father assigns him a mission to travel from Michigan to Texas in order to locate the money he hid, even though he is now disgraced and in danger of losing his home. Along the way, Tobias meets up with the reality of living in the 30s from which he’s long been sheltered.

This book was excellent. The Dirty Parts of the Bible was a hilarious book set during the Great Depression that included a cast of likeable characters. According to the author’s remarks, his novel was influenced by the classic Jewish legend of Tobias and Sarah from the Book of Tobit. Although I haven’t read the story, I feel the setting to be a fitting homage to books like Mark Childress’ Crazy in Alabama. Tobias is reaching adulthood and entering a world of which he had only ever dreamed.

Tobias is incredibly gullible. Although it takes place 31 years before my birth, there are many similarities between the church in his day and the one my family attended. Music was viewed as wicked, as were dancing, slack-wearing ladies, women who chopped their hair, and women who wore them. Many things happened that those of us who went to church school were shielded from and had no idea existed until we went out and looked for them — just like Tobias did. He would have been difficult to believe if Torode had written this book in any other era or with any other framing device. No one is that foolish, the reader observes as they recline.

When a prostitute’s Madame orders her to return the money, Tobias lets her take it all and then immediately returns it to her. Nobody acts that that! It is Tobias. It’s simple to think that Tobias would act in the sweet, charming, innocent, and utterly foolish ways that he does because of the way that he is presented as being sweet, charming, and innocent. Throughout the novel, we observe him changing as he matures and gains the ability to deal with situations that were before beyond his realm of understanding.

Simple, southern fiction is what The Dirty Parts of the Bible is about. It radiates laughter and is vibrant, vivid, and lively. I don’t want to lead you astray; you’ve already read this book. There are 101 books out there just like this one, but for me, Tobias, Crew, the Pastor, Ada, etc. … they all stood out. They were also written to that extra degree that draws you into caring what happens to them.

After all was said and done, I thought the conclusion was quite convenient and artificial. The book’s true genius lies in its journey, in this case. Garrison Keillor is listed as one of the author’s favourite writers on his profile page, and this is evident in the author’s relaxed, homey writing style. This book was fantastic for me, and if I had it in paperback, it would be on my list of “bathtub soaking” books (the precious Kindle never gets near water). Light and entertaining with some lows but many highs. You’ll root for these characters and want them to succeed. This book is for you if you enjoy southern literature written in the tradition of the great southern storytellers.

About The Book

The Dirty Parts of the Bible is a humorous adventure across America during the Great Depression–a rollicking tale of love and liquor, preachers and prostitutes, trains and treasure, sure to appeal to fans of O Brother Where Art Thou?, Water for Elephants, Mark Twain, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash.

It’s 1936, and Tobias Henry is stuck in the frozen hinterlands of Michigan. Tobias is obsessed with two things: God and girls. Mostly girls, of course. But being a Baptist preacher’s son, he can’t escape God.

When his father is blinded in a bizarre accident (involving hard cider and bird droppings), Tobias must ride the rails to Texas to recover a long-hidden stash of money. Along the way, he’s initiated into the hobo brotherhood by Craw, a ribald vagabond-philosopher.

Obstacles arise in the form of a saucy prostitute, a flaming boxcar, and a man-eating catfish. But when he meets Sarah, a tough farm girl under a dark curse, he finds out that the greatest challenge of all is love.

The Review