“Bless the largeness inside me, no matter how I fear it . . . . When I am dust, sing these words over my bones: she was a voice.”
When I discovered Sue Monk Kidd had a book on the press, I couldn’t wait to download it. The release day drew near, and I drew in my breath. Then I realized The Book of Longings was about the secret life of Jesus’s (fictional) wife. I deflated. I don’t love trying to distinguish fact from fiction when it comes to Him. My sister, Sharee, did not shrink from the task. Here’s what she had to say about last month’s big release:
I have to admit I was skeptical when I started Sue Monk Kidd’s latest novel, The Book of Longings. As a firm believer in the sacred and divine mission of Jesus Christ, I struggled with the idea of someone writing a “what if” scenario about his life before ministering. But the more I read, the more I realized that this is Ana’s story. Ana, the young wife of Jesus, was such a well-developed character that I found myself captivated by her determination to follow the longings she carried within. Ana is an intelligent, educated, and strong female character. She is willing to risk her own life to help others. Ana spends years trying to find and share her voice at a time in history when women were expected to be utterly silent. While it was difficult for me to embrace the author’s portrayal of Jesus, Ana’s amazing story (which could stand on its own in my opinion) definitely left me longing for more.