Review: The Book of Longings

Title: The Book of Longings

Author: Sue Monk Kidd

Publisher: 28th April 2020 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 407 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

“I am Ana. I was the wife of Jesus.”

Raised in a wealthy family in Sepphoris with ties to the ruler of Galilee, Ana is rebellious and ambitious, a relentless seeker with a brilliant, curious mind and a daring spirit. She yearns for a pursuit worthy of her life, but finds no outlet for her considerable talents. Defying the expectations placed on women, she engages in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes secret narratives about neglected and silenced women. When she meets the eighteen-year-old Jesus, each is drawn to and enriched by the other’s spiritual and philosophical ideas. He becomes a floodgate for her intellect, but also the awakener of her heart.

Their marriage unfolds with love and conflict, humor and pathos in Nazareth, where Ana makes a home with Jesus, his brothers, James and Simon, and their mother, Mary. Here, Ana’s pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to the Roman occupation of Israel, partially led by her charismatic adopted brother, Judas. She is sustained by her indomitable aunt Yaltha, who is searching for her long-lost daughter, as well as by other women, including her friend Tabitha, who is sold into slavery after she was raped, and Phasaelis, the shrewd wife of Herod Antipas. Ana’s impetuous streak occasionally invites danger. When one such foray forces her to flee Nazareth for her safety shortly before Jesus’s public ministry begins, she makes her way with Yaltha to Alexandria, where she eventually finds refuge and purpose in unexpected surroundings.

Grounded in meticulous historical research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus’s life that focuses on his humanity, The Book of Longings is an inspiring account of one woman’s bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place, and culture devised to silence her.

My Thoughts

“I am Ana. I was the wife of Jesus.” Wow! Who would not be intrigued by the opening line of this book. I thought to myself, I’ll give it a go! So glad I did ... sensationally good and that takes into account we all know how it ends! Just put aside everything you think and feel about this topic because this fictional storytelling is incredible. This is about Ana and her journey and you really don’t want to miss it.

“I'm unsuited for you,” I said. “Certainly you know this.” I couldn’t think why I would try to discourage him, except to test his resolve. “I don’t just refer to my family’s wealth and ties to Herod Antipas, but to myself. You said you’re not like other men. Well, I’m not like other women - you’ve said so yourself. I have ambitions as men do. I’m racked with longings. I’m selfish and willful and sometimes deceitful. I rebel. I’m easy to anger. I doubt the ways of God. I’m an outsider everywhere I go. People look on me with derision.”   “I know all of this,” he said. ‘‘And you would still have me?” 

“The question is whether you will have me”

The first thing that strikes you is just how well written this book is - Sue writes beautifully. The use of figurative language is vivid with near to every sentence she writes, transporting you to far off lands of times long ago. I was swept up in the magic of her writing, swallowing up each and every literary prose. The research is incredible and clever! Really, really clever use of famous biblical moments that, when presented this way, make sense. Does she change the timelines? Yes. Does she mould/amend certain events to suit her story? Yes. Does Sue acknowledge all this? Yes. But it’s clever and I love it!

"I knelt beside Jesus, possessed now by an eerie calm, by a self barely known to me. Everything receded into the distance - the street, the soldiers, the noise, the city walls, the people craning to watch - the whole pageant of horrors abating until there was nothing there but Jesus and me. His eyes were closed. He didn’t move or seem to breathe, and I wondered if he was already dead. He would never know I was here, but I was relieved for him. Crucifixion was barbarous. I rolled him gently onto his side and a breath floated up. “Beloved,” I said, bending close. He blinked and his gaze found me. “Ana? ”  “I’m here ... I’ve come back. I’m here.” 

As to the story - bravo Sue! Put aside all you think you know or believe and think for a moment ... imagine Jesus had a wife in those lost years from adolescence to his early 30s. Could he have been like many other Jewish men with the expectations of wife and family? But this story is not about Jesus ... this is about Ana and what a female lead she proved to be. What an incredibly strong woman in times such as this: times of arranged marriages, fear of birthing and losing one or two lives, scorned with no rights and lots of responsibilities. Ana is strong and her voice and words carry the story to credence. 

I’m not going to go into the storylines and biblical parallels, you need to read this story with an open mind, looking for incredible literature to lose yourself in. You know how it all ends, which is what makes this book all the more remarkable for achieving that level of satisfaction. It’s because Sue has done her research and, where possible, beautifully interwoven time and place into her reimaginings. With strong themes of women's rights in unison with a great love for this humble man makes for riveting reading. 

I encourage you to read The Book of Longings for its surprising beauty, something that I was not expecting but so grateful to have experienced. Read about this strong woman of her time, aspiring scribe, full of her own longings. 

"That would be my parting gift to him. I would go with him to the end of his longings. " 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.