Love Amid the Ashes
By Mesu Andrews
BCE Historical Fiction – Job and Dinah?
This BCE historical fiction tells the Biblical story of Job by combining his tale with that of Dinah from Genesis. The author researched and found a somewhat obscure apocryphal source proposing a relationship between Job and Jacob’s daughter as well as a relationship between Esau and Job. Andrews cited her sources, but I’m not sure that I was convinced. But this is a work of fiction, so poetic license probably covers such an ancient time period!
Tough times for women
On the surface this book moved along in its narrative without a lot of bumps. Dinah hasn’t had an easy life since her rape experience. Her relatives all blame her for the revenge she caused them to take. They treat her like damaged goods and are glad to get rid of her when the chance appears. Dinah finds a new life when Jacob sends her away to be wed to one of Job’s children.
When she arrives at Job’s residence, things happen quickly. Her intended groom dies before she has the chance to meet him. Because she is a trained healer, Dinah helps Job with the physical suffering he endures. He gives her the spiritual sustenance that she needs.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry
Several things bothered me as I read this novel. The author inserts tears into almost every scene. And not just in scenes where God reveals new sufferings for Job. It got so irritating that I groaned each time any character showed tears, which was a lot. It also became tedious that all the women “giggled” all the time. They rarely laughed or chuckled or snickered or chortled. Just giggled, sometimes in the same scene with tears.
Another thing that I didn’t like about this book was its tendency to name drop. The author wove the two characters’ stories together, but it felt forced when they all ended up in Egypt with Joseph.
I have read a lot better Biblical historical fiction – novels that dove deeper into character, motive, plot, and theology. This one was just a little too simplistic.
2/5 Stars