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The Insatiable Moon
Arthur, who believes himself to be the second son of God, lives at a boarding house in Ponsonby with all the other ex-psych patients released into community care, only to find themselves washed up on the shores of 'cappuccino city' - unwanted and struggling to cope with life on the outside, as their home is threatened with closure. A gentle giant of a man, Arthur realizes his time has finally come, and he has two important tasks to complete before the end. He must let people know that judgment is coming, and he needs to find the Queen of Heaven, with whom he will father a miraculous child. At the same time, in another part of the city, Margaret, mother of two, is about to become intimately involved in the Second Coming. For those caught up in their story, the celestial dance of the ripening moon swirls inexorably above them as a poignant and ultimately deadly network of miracle and tragedy sweeps through their lives. Now a major new international movie, filmed on location in Ponsonby, starring Rawiri Paratene as Arthur and Sara Wiseman as Margaret, due for release in 2010, following the movie's debut at the New Zealand International Film Festival.
217 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 5, 2022
Loved it. Heartbreaking end. Loved the kiwi themes throughout the book. The way all the characters are weaved together is lovely. Very steamy scene mid way through as well haha. Makes me think about the homeless sorta people a bit differently and makes me want to live life in a non conventional way like the guy in the park choses to.
The song ‘Angels’ by Flight of the Conchords makes me think of this book.
The song ‘Angels’ by Flight of the Conchords makes me think of this book.
October 25, 2019
I read this back in 1997 and made some notes about it at the time:
The writing is the thing that holds this book together: snappy and sharp and clever and able to slip easily from the inside to the outside without losing the reader. Riddell even makes Ponsonby (a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand) one of the minor characters. Most of the other locales are briefly drawn and then left to our imaginations, or the comments of the characters.
The piece reads in spots like a film-script: many short scenes (the first long conversation in the piece is between the vicar and his spiritual director: it’s almost the only sustained piece of writing in the book, and even then it’s only two or three pages long) skipping from one group to another. The ten page or so long sex scene, which was the focus of media attention, and supposedly was why why Riddell left Baptist College, is broken up into shorter sections, each with their own focus.
The book aims not just to satirise those who care little about people with problems in their community, but also tries, with considerable success, to retell the story of Jesus in modern guise. Arthur, the Maori psych patient, is ‘the second son of God’ (no intention of replacing Jesus) and is duly disbelieved, persecuted and put to death, all in a straightforward believable way.
He performs miracles without fanfare, (including fathering a child by a woman who’s had her tubes tied and picking the right numbers for a Lotto ticket!), but his greatest ability is to turn people’s lives around so that they act differently: in some cases turning towards God, or having an identifiable religious experience, or crisis. He has the delightful habit of attributing what we would see as the normal course of nature in the changes of weather and behaviour of creatures to his own ability and actions. This is done in a most pleasing way, quietly integrated into the storytelling without being overdone.
The writing is the thing that holds this book together: snappy and sharp and clever and able to slip easily from the inside to the outside without losing the reader. Riddell even makes Ponsonby (a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand) one of the minor characters. Most of the other locales are briefly drawn and then left to our imaginations, or the comments of the characters.
The piece reads in spots like a film-script: many short scenes (the first long conversation in the piece is between the vicar and his spiritual director: it’s almost the only sustained piece of writing in the book, and even then it’s only two or three pages long) skipping from one group to another. The ten page or so long sex scene, which was the focus of media attention, and supposedly was why why Riddell left Baptist College, is broken up into shorter sections, each with their own focus.
The book aims not just to satirise those who care little about people with problems in their community, but also tries, with considerable success, to retell the story of Jesus in modern guise. Arthur, the Maori psych patient, is ‘the second son of God’ (no intention of replacing Jesus) and is duly disbelieved, persecuted and put to death, all in a straightforward believable way.
He performs miracles without fanfare, (including fathering a child by a woman who’s had her tubes tied and picking the right numbers for a Lotto ticket!), but his greatest ability is to turn people’s lives around so that they act differently: in some cases turning towards God, or having an identifiable religious experience, or crisis. He has the delightful habit of attributing what we would see as the normal course of nature in the changes of weather and behaviour of creatures to his own ability and actions. This is done in a most pleasing way, quietly integrated into the storytelling without being overdone.
May 3, 2026
Found this book in a musty old bookstore - busted cover, yellowed pages, there was really nothing of interest about it - yet that title. It drew me in, inexplicably. Much like Arthur drew in the characters of this story.
All this to say, I loved The Insatiable Moon. The writing voice was amazing and witty. Love it, love it to death.
All this to say, I loved The Insatiable Moon. The writing voice was amazing and witty. Love it, love it to death.
August 22, 2012
The Insatiable Moon (1997) by controversial one time Baptist pastor, and Catholic layman, Mike Riddell is sure to provoke reaction. I read the book some may prefer to watch the movie of the same name. The film is directed by Rosemary Riddell and starring Rawiri Paratene, Sara Wiseman and Ian Mune.
The story is a story of Ponsonby undergoing gentrification, a story of the ‘least of these’, of the unravelling of certitude.
The central character is Arthur, a Maori living in Bob’s boarding house in Ponsonby, along with a number of other undesirables: alcoholics, a paedophile raked by guilt, loonies and various others battered and rejected by society.
It is this society that has put this group together under the guise of government policy to de-institutionalise the mentally ill and to allow them to live a normal life in the community. Possibly a good policy if the community actually cared but as is highlighted in the Insatiable Moon the community cares more for their own comfort and property values and would rather not have their nice tidy world disturbed by the likes of the men living at Bob’s; as in many communities the well-to-do know what is best for Arthur and his mates and that simply entails being elsewhere.
Arthur has no desire to be ‘elsewhere’ and he is not one to be easily ignored. He is in his own words the ‘second son of God’ sent to complete the work of the first son whose message of love has been ignored for too long by virtually all people, including the church.
Arthur’s mission is to let people know that judgment is close and to find the Queen of Heaven and when he does to woo her and impregnate her, thus ensuring the birth of a ‘special child’ who will be the one.
Across town Margaret lives; a housewife and mother of two, whose tubes have been tied. Margaret has long lost zest for life – she appears to be on autopilot, yet she is, unknowingly, ready to be the fulfilment of Arthur’s plans.
Many other characters cross Arthur’s path; notable among them are Kevin, a jaded vicar whose calling is re-awakened by Arthur and Karen, TV reporter, cynical, condescending – who after a bit of mischief from a pair of roguish angels has a conversion experience that confounds and convicts her.
A number of things cause me to struggle with the story: Karen’s conversion experience coming about by the application of an angelic potion; the same experience described as ‘being ‘fucked’; and on a similar theme the portrayal of the angels who as well as being rogues are highly sexually charged and become distracted from their duties when they get it off with each other.
Likewise I struggled with the concept of the adultery between Margaret with Arthur being the vehicle of redemption – yet biblically I know this was how it was for David and Bathsheba and how it ‘looked’ for Joseph and Mary.
However with David and Bathsheba there is no hint of divine approval whereas here there seems to be widespread approval and even delight as expressed by the watching angels.
Positively I was reminded that we are involved in something bigger than we can appreciate, and that we are called to do what we can, but we are not called to do it all. That calling involves serving ‘the least of these’ and that through the ‘least of these’ God often speaks to and challenges the comfortable. I am appreciating the way God shows up amongst the psych patients, rejects of society, of how it is often ones such as these who show us what love and faith really mean because here grace and truth abound (yes they also have problems), and the pompous and self-satisfied are left without any answers.
The Insatiable Moon contains a powerful reflection on the problem of suffering; and a prophetic call to stand against the social injustice that is often the reality for those least able to stand by themselves.
Reading this book I am sure Mike Riddell’s pastoral work in Ponsonby Baptist saw him walking the streets, cleaning up the vomit, holding the dying and standing against apathy, hypocrisy, and the smugness that can so blind people to the least of these in their midst. His characters are warm and believable, and the story despite great tragedy speaks of life and love, hope and faith.
The story is a story of Ponsonby undergoing gentrification, a story of the ‘least of these’, of the unravelling of certitude.
The central character is Arthur, a Maori living in Bob’s boarding house in Ponsonby, along with a number of other undesirables: alcoholics, a paedophile raked by guilt, loonies and various others battered and rejected by society.
It is this society that has put this group together under the guise of government policy to de-institutionalise the mentally ill and to allow them to live a normal life in the community. Possibly a good policy if the community actually cared but as is highlighted in the Insatiable Moon the community cares more for their own comfort and property values and would rather not have their nice tidy world disturbed by the likes of the men living at Bob’s; as in many communities the well-to-do know what is best for Arthur and his mates and that simply entails being elsewhere.
Arthur has no desire to be ‘elsewhere’ and he is not one to be easily ignored. He is in his own words the ‘second son of God’ sent to complete the work of the first son whose message of love has been ignored for too long by virtually all people, including the church.
Arthur’s mission is to let people know that judgment is close and to find the Queen of Heaven and when he does to woo her and impregnate her, thus ensuring the birth of a ‘special child’ who will be the one.
Across town Margaret lives; a housewife and mother of two, whose tubes have been tied. Margaret has long lost zest for life – she appears to be on autopilot, yet she is, unknowingly, ready to be the fulfilment of Arthur’s plans.
Many other characters cross Arthur’s path; notable among them are Kevin, a jaded vicar whose calling is re-awakened by Arthur and Karen, TV reporter, cynical, condescending – who after a bit of mischief from a pair of roguish angels has a conversion experience that confounds and convicts her.
A number of things cause me to struggle with the story: Karen’s conversion experience coming about by the application of an angelic potion; the same experience described as ‘being ‘fucked’; and on a similar theme the portrayal of the angels who as well as being rogues are highly sexually charged and become distracted from their duties when they get it off with each other.
Likewise I struggled with the concept of the adultery between Margaret with Arthur being the vehicle of redemption – yet biblically I know this was how it was for David and Bathsheba and how it ‘looked’ for Joseph and Mary.
However with David and Bathsheba there is no hint of divine approval whereas here there seems to be widespread approval and even delight as expressed by the watching angels.
Positively I was reminded that we are involved in something bigger than we can appreciate, and that we are called to do what we can, but we are not called to do it all. That calling involves serving ‘the least of these’ and that through the ‘least of these’ God often speaks to and challenges the comfortable. I am appreciating the way God shows up amongst the psych patients, rejects of society, of how it is often ones such as these who show us what love and faith really mean because here grace and truth abound (yes they also have problems), and the pompous and self-satisfied are left without any answers.
The Insatiable Moon contains a powerful reflection on the problem of suffering; and a prophetic call to stand against the social injustice that is often the reality for those least able to stand by themselves.
Reading this book I am sure Mike Riddell’s pastoral work in Ponsonby Baptist saw him walking the streets, cleaning up the vomit, holding the dying and standing against apathy, hypocrisy, and the smugness that can so blind people to the least of these in their midst. His characters are warm and believable, and the story despite great tragedy speaks of life and love, hope and faith.
November 4, 2010
This book is set pretty close to home, Ponsonby to be exact, and has recently been released in movie form.
Anyway, we follow the central character, Arthur, second son of God, on his mission to proclaim that the end is nigh, and to find the Queen of Heaven. The only problem is that Arthur just happens to be an ex-psych patient who lives in a boarding house with other ex-psychs. They are all looked after by the best character in the book, Bob, who jollies them all along and genuinely cares for their health and well being.
I enjoyed the little snatches of familiarity that come from a book set in the city one lives in, shops, streets, even Connoly Unit gets a mention.
The ending is both brutal and sad, and took me quite by surprise.
Anyway, we follow the central character, Arthur, second son of God, on his mission to proclaim that the end is nigh, and to find the Queen of Heaven. The only problem is that Arthur just happens to be an ex-psych patient who lives in a boarding house with other ex-psychs. They are all looked after by the best character in the book, Bob, who jollies them all along and genuinely cares for their health and well being.
I enjoyed the little snatches of familiarity that come from a book set in the city one lives in, shops, streets, even Connoly Unit gets a mention.
The ending is both brutal and sad, and took me quite by surprise.
August 6, 2011
Having seen the wonderful film (made by Mike Riddell himself - do catch it when it opens in Britain), I was keen to get to grips with the book. I was not disappointed. Beautifully written, profound and moving. I did think the one sex scene was a bit overwritten, but then I am a prudish old fogey. This novel deserves to be a lot better known.
June 23, 2014
Up there with my favourite books of all time. Arthur, a psychiatric patient, believes himself to be the second son of god. By the end of the book, you wonder if he wasn't. Beautifully executed and sympathetic to those whom society marginalises or otherwise finds difficult to deal with. Read it, it's a wonderful experience.
October 25, 2010
A slice of life in Ponsonby, centered around a boarding house for psych patients. The question is: where does spirituality end and insanity begin? A very thought-provoking read.
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July 1, 2012Really liked this book,and the movie
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews