A Cynical Portrayal of the Crucifixion

The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín (Scribner, 2012, 81pp.)

A very bitter, cynical portrayal of Mary’s reflections on the Crucifixion twenty years after the event, as written by formerly Catholic author Colm Tóibín. At 81 pages long, there are a lot of things that this book isn’t. It’s not quite an exploration of Mary and Jesus’s relationship. For that, the story would need to be much longer. Nor is it a work of great beauty. It’s a broody little parable that has only a few things to say, and then says them. End of story. Do not expect the Pietà, and do not expect The Passion of the Christ. There’s no poignant scene of Mary cradling the body of her dead son after his demise. In fact, we get the impression that she doesn’t believe in her son’s divinity any more than the next atheist. That said, Tóibín’s Mary is also a very human rendition of the mother of Christ. Hers is a story that chronicles a widow’s lonely later years, one that’s based more in domesticity and than religiosity. It’s short, it’s simple, it’s depressing, and it’s slightly thought-provoking. Recommended for the reader who doesn’t mind a somewhat plain, not exactly unorthodox version of Biblical events.

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A Strange and Slightly Unsettling Read About Mothers and Sons

Room by Emma Donoghue (Little, Brown and Co., 2010, 336pp.)

All his life, Jack has lived in the peace and solitude of Room, a place with no windows but the one skylight in the roof, and no doors except the one with a keypad that requires a code in order for it to open. His constant companion is his mother, known to the reader as “Ma.” To him, their life is a perfect one. They pass the time with domestic routines, games, and telling stories. All they need is each other, he thinks. That and Old Nick, of course. He’s the one who brings them food and clothes when they need them. But he only comes at night. Then one day, Ma tells Jack a new story, one about herself, explaining how she was brought against her will to Room by Old Nick seven years ago. The novel isn’t about their captivity, however, so much as it’s a story about a mother and son. Donoghue uses this situation to highlight their relationship by using five-year-old Jack as the narrator. His innocent child’s voice rings true throughout the novel, though due to the rambling, distracted nature of the prose, it can be hard to plow through at times. The author also presents an interesting dilemma: when Jack finally does encounter the outside world, he finds it confusing and unpleasant. He wants to stay in Room where it’s “safe,” despite the reality that his mother has been held against her will. In this case, is more harm done than good? The answer is entirely up to the reader.

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Similar Books:

• Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks