“I saw that the few who’d remained to walk with him were women. Where were these disciples of his? The fishermen? The men? Were we women the only ones with hearts large enough to hold such anguish?”
– Page 375

This novel speaks to my longings. Sue Monk Kidd creates a courageous book that not only explores the devastation of women’s silence through history but tells a different and equally beautiful story of Jesus.

Kidd fashions a text that tells an imagined and never considered story of Jesus’ wife, Ana. Kidd discloses that “The day Ana appeared, I knew one thing about her besides her name. I knew that what she wanted most was a voice. If Jesus actually did have a wife, and history unfolded exactly the way it has, then she would be the most silenced woman in history and the woman most in need of a voice. I’ve tried to give her one” (416).

The Book of Longings is Sue Monk Kidd’s most recent publication. It was released at the beginning of this year, 2020. Her books have always deeply moved me through her sentences, stories, and ideas. I heard this podcast interview and ordered the book right away.