THE SAGA OF OL' RAUSCH

A supernatural being searches for meaning in the human world in this novel by LaTorre.

As this story begins, an amorphous, inhuman being called the Rauschmonstrum has existed about as long as humanity has been on Earth—but all that time, he’s felt truly alone. There’s no other entity like him, and he suffers from a profound lack of purpose and direction. For this reason—and for the sake of “a few chuckles” on his part—the Rauschmonstrum decides to intervene in human history in order to make some kind of mark. Humans want guidance, he observes, and a moral code set in stone; the Rauschmonstrum is aware that there is no God and, as a result, humanity lacks a “divine master.” He volunteers himself for the job, and he quickly decides to inspire a human from Nazareth named Jesus to live a morally exemplary life and lay out a moral framework for humankind. Much to the Rauschmonstrum’s surprise, Jesus is not in on the “absurd joke that has been played on him,” up to and including the crucifixion. The monstrous protagonist then decides to turn Jesus’ death to his advantage, using his vast powers to convince people of Jesus’ resurrection (“If I do this, then the myths about him will never die,” he thinks. “Nothing is bigger than coming back from the dead”). The Rauschmonstrum later becomes a strange kind of media star—living through the centuries and interacting with humans as a well-known but otherworldly celebrity.

In the first of the novel’s three sections, readers follow the Rauschmonstrum as he shadows Jesus during the key moments of the Gospels, offering an effective, cynical counterpoint to well-known events. In the second and most entertaining section, “Interviews with the Rauschmonstrum,” readers follow the “shapeshifting monster” onto the stages of a number of well-known talk shows; he joins William F. Buckley on the set of Firing Line (“Based on your writing,” Buckley says, “it’s obvious to me you are…a creature of the left”), trades quips with Dick Cavett, and talks about books with Charlie Rose (who tells him that Christopher Hitchens is not the Rauschmonstrum’s biggest fan) He also hits The Tonight Show stage multiple times. Throughout this section, LaTorre very cleverly unfolds the alternate reality that ticks along in the background of his book; at one point, for instance, Norman Mailer becomes the president of the United States. Overall, the author makes the Rauschmonstrum’s reflections on the changing nature of American society even more amusing and thought-provoking than his observations on key moments of the New Testament. The book’s most intriguing element, however, is its complete lack of moralizing about the Rauschmonstrum himself, whom it simply presents as a flat fact of existence—and a surprisingly likable one, at that. The book’s third section, which is essentially one long encounter between the Rauschmonstrum and Jesus, is the most strained, but the book’s overall cheery tone remains consistent throughout.

A strange but ultimately beguiling account of the life and times of mankind’s oddest companion.