Not Wanted on the Voyage

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Not Wanted on the Voyage is a novel by Canadian author Timothy Findley, which presents a reinterpretation of the Great Flood in the biblical book of Genesis. It was first published by Viking Canada in the autumn of 1984.

[edit] Plot summary

The novel's central character is Noah Noyes, an authoritarian doctor and father whose obsession with God's law leads him to neglect his family. His wife, Mrs. Noyes, is an alcoholic who talks to animals (including Mottyl, a blind cat who narrates part of the novel) and trains a chorus of singing sheep.

One day, an exhausted and depressed Yaweh visits Dr. Noyes and tells him to build an ark in preparation for the flood. His family reacts negatively: Ham quickly marries Lucy, a mysterious seven-foot-tall woman with webbed fingers who is eventually revealed to be the devil in drag.

In the novel's telling, Noah is ultimately responsible for the loss of innocence and magic in the world. He fails to collect fairies, and the unicorns and demons die on the ark. As a result of Noah's failure, animals lose the ability to speak.

[edit] Major themes

Illustrating the novel's anti-patriarchal themes, Mrs. Noyes and Lucy are the ones who successfully keep things together despite apalling conditions on the ark.