I always enjoy Chris Aslan's books! The plots grab my attention and I enjoy the pace. Alabaster was the first book that introduced me to his writing and so I was keen to read Mosaic. Whilst I don't think it surpasses Alabaster, I enjoyed reading about village life in the snow clad mountains about a Great Lake and Blood City. I quickly caught on to the epic stories that gave Aslan his inspiration and enjoyed seeing him bring them to life. This is a story about friendship and trust and lives restored and transformed.
I am not sure if I would recommend this book. I think I would definitely recommend Alabaster; in fact I bought several copies for friends. I can't quite put my finger on why but I found the intimate scenes in this book are bit difficult to read. I think that would put me off recommending this book in particular - but I would still recommend him as an author to others.

MOSAIC by CHRIS ASLAN is the story of a young girl's journey from the highest village on the side of the Many Peaked Mountain to life as a merchant in Damascus. It is also the story of her spiritual journey, from being not very religious to earnestly following Yeshua, the Teacher, after she witnesses miracles, and also after she herself is delivered from unforgiveness and hatred.
The book closely follows Scripture which we find in Mark chapter two and Acts chapter nine, in particular; and Luke 12:52 "From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three", describes what happens to the five close friends, members of "the Hand", headed up by Tabita's brother Phanuel, when some are led to follow Jesus and others choose to follow the dead letter of the Law. We see how the Pharisees are threatened by Jesus and are all set to kill Him.
I like the "mosaic" metaphor as we see people from all situations in life, rich and poor, good and bad, accepted by the powerful yet humble Saviour of the world, the Son of Man.
I like the farming scenes. In them we get a real feeling of how hard it is to make a living in such extremely hard conditions, and how close knit the community is until they are split in two. The book is graphic in parts, which may offend some, but I feel that it shows how very basic life was at the time. I also like the pictures painted of the Sea of Galilee and the village of Capernaum.
The author has a good understanding of human nature and we feel what the characters are feeling.
I really enjoyed Mosaic and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Biblical fiction.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Lion Hudson Ltd. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

Mosaic Life In Pieces by Chris Aslan is a marvellous Christian historical novel that will enthral and consume you.
It is set in the Middle East during the time of Jesus and just beyond. Familiar Bible stories spring to life, giving men and women from the Bible fully rounded characters that are woven into the reader’s heart. Although we realise this is a work of fiction, the characters seem very real. I would recommend reading the Gospels alongside the story, to familiarise yourself with the minor characters.
Chris Aslan has a masterful pen. His descriptions of the scenes really bring them to life. The reader can ‘see’ the hazy heat and ‘feel’ the dust and the relief when a public bath is taken.
There is much relief when we wash the dirt and dust off ourselves but we need clean hearts too. “You can wash me clean but I’m still full of filth.” We must deal with our insides and love others and God as Jesus has loved us. If we love then there is no room for hate.
There are godly lessons to be learnt. We must love our neighbour and our enemies, practicing forgiveness at all times. “Forgiveness is choosing to cancel that debt.” We also live in freedom when we forgive.
We witness the tension between the followers of Jesus and the religious leaders. It is relationship versus rules. As persecution follows, things get very ugly. Families are torn in two. It is Jesus love that transforms not a set of rule keeping.
We see that life was hard. You needed a good harvest or a trade. If you didn’t work, you didn’t eat. When disaster strikes animosities are put aside as a community pulls together.
One touch from Jesus and people were healed. There was a shame attached to infertility in Biblical times. We see the joy but also the scepticism of some as the barren become fertile.
In the hard times it is easy to become despondent and question God. We must trust Him at all times. He will never let us down. “Life is pain. But God is still there.” When times look bleak, we can trust that God is still good.
Mosaic Life In Pieces was such a powerful read. I immersed myself in its pages that felt very familiar as Biblical stories sprang to life. It was a brilliant book.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

This book was read thanks to NetGalley, but all the thoughts in this short review are mine.


I grew up in a Roman Catholic household, so I am familiar with the Bible and some of the stories.


That being said what I want to share with you, is that the author does an amazing job making this biblical story felt so natural, and real, it could easily work as a movie based on real events.


If you are a religious person, who wants to read, fiction based on religion. This is your kind of story