Book Review: "The Book of Longings" by Sue Monk Kidd
“The Book of Longings” by Sue Monk Kidd
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Publisher Synopsis: In her mesmerizing fourth work of fiction, Sue Monk Kidd takes an audacious approach to history and brings her acclaimed narrative gifts to imagine the story of a young woman named Ana. Raised in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee, she is rebellious and ambitious, with a brilliant mind and a daring spirit. She engages in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes narratives about neglected and silenced women. Ana is expected to marry an older widower, a prospect that horrifies her. An encounter with eighteen-year-old Jesus changes everything.
Their marriage evolves with love and conflict, humor and pathos in Nazareth, where Ana makes a home with Jesus, his brothers, and their mother, Mary. Ana's pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to Rome's occupation of Israel, partially led by her brother, Judas. She is sustained by her fearless aunt Yaltha, who harbors a compelling secret. When Ana commits a brazen act that puts her in peril, she flees to Alexandria, where startling revelations and greater dangers unfold, and she finds refuge in unexpected surroundings. Ana determines her fate during a stunning convergence of events considered among the most impactful in human history.
Grounded in meticulous research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus's life that focuses on his humanity, The Book of Longings is an inspiring, unforgettable 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. It is a triumph of storytelling both timely and timeless, from a masterful writer at the height of her powers.
Rating (out of 5): 5
Trigger Warnings: rape, bodily mutilation
Review: Before getting fully into my review, I thought it might be helpful for me, likely the least religious of my fellow SFOL bloggers, to give a little background. I was raised Catholic in the Bible Belt of Georgia. I had my first Communion, got confirmed, and tried out youth group a bit in middle and high school. But, growing up with many Evangelical classmates led to some confusion; I was often accosted and asked if I had “accepted-Jesus-Christ-as-my-personal-lord-and-savior” (yes all in one breath) and as a Catholic, I didn’t quite know what to make of that.
In college, I decided organized religion wasn’t for me as I detest how frequently it is weaponized for political purposes. While I would say I believe in some sort of higher power, I don’t adhere to any particular religion. Of course I respect people’s beliefs, but I don’t want them to be legislated or used as an excuse for discrimination, which they often are by those in power.
All that being said, I adored this book and haven’t stopped thinking about it since I finished it a few days ago.
I think Jesus has been so mythologized that many have lost sight of the fact that he was indeed a man who lived during a specific moment in time. It’s important to understand the historical context of that time, and I highly recommend reading Reza Aslan’s biography of Jesus the man (as opposed to the god-like figure of the Gospels). Jesus was likely a political zealot, speaking out against the Roman control of his homeland and, as the son of poorer people, detested the wealth inequity he saw (…sounds familiar, no?). And, as a Jewish man living in the first century, it’s very unlikely he wasn’t married.
Enter “The Book of Longings.”
Obviously this book is fiction. And while there is no mention of Jesus’ wife in the Gospels, there also isn’t a mention of him not being married. “The Book of Longings” is an account of many of the years that aren’t related in the Gospels—Jesus, age 17-30. Marriage was so normal in first-century Galilee that it may have gone without saying that Jesus was married. But, this is truly Ana’s story.
We meet Ana when she’s 14. She’s from a wealthy family, and we learn she’s convinced her father to provide tutors and lessons for her, so unlike many women at this time, she can read and write. She has a strong bond with her aunt, her father’s sister, and is also close to her brother Judas (yes, that Judas). Ana is a devout Jew, and she lifts up a prayer to God as the novel begins: “bless the largeness inside me … When I am dust, sing these words over my bones: she was a voice.”
But, when her father forces her to become betrothed to an elderly widower, Ana is distraught. She has dreams and ambitions and is sure her husband-to-be will quell them. After an encounter with 17-year-old Jesus in the market, Ana devises a plan to meet him. Long story short, Ana ends up marrying Jesus and moves to Nazareth to live with his family, including his mother Mary, two brothers and their wives, and his nieces and nephews.
Jesus is portrayed as being quite a modern man for the first century. Although their family is too poor to pay for papyri for Ana to write, he encourages her ambitions. After Ana confesses that she has been taking herbs to prevent pregnancy and tells Jesus she doesn’t want children, he accepts that. When they eventually part ways (but remain married) as Jesus begins his ministry and Ana has to escape Galilee for political reasons, each one “blesses the largeness” in the other. Ana and Jesus are truly spiritual and intellectual equals. It’s hard enough to find a man like this in the 21st century, let alone the first!
As I said above, the novel is truly Ana’s story, and how she navigates being an ambitious, educated woman in a time when that was far from the norm. She has crises of faith which I found realistic (no one is perfect), and she dedicated herself to writing the stories of women who otherwise would have been forgotten. Sue Monk Kidd’s prose is beautiful; Ana has a strong, defined voice, and I found myself slowing down while reading the book to truly savor the words.
If you are shying away from reading this book for religious reasons, I would argue that making Ana the wife of Jesus is a literary hook. Jesus’ ministry is not discussed in detail, and the book doesn’t posit either way whether or not Jesus is the Messiah. (He is, however, portrayed as a peaceful political protestor, which history tell us is most likely true.) (And we even get a POV from Judas regarding his infamous betrayal.)
My true takeaway from the book is, how many Anas were there, in the centuries before us, who wanted to read and write and were silenced by the male figures in their lives? Countless stories and accounts of history likely have been lost due to male supremacy, caste systems, and racism; we should all mourn those losses.
TL;DR: A beautiful, masterful portrayal of an ambitious, educated woman in first-century Galilee—who happens to be married to the man who would become the most revered figure in history.
If you liked this, try:
“Naamah” by Sarah Blake (Kindle)
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