The Testament of Mary

Novelle waarin de laatste dagen van Christus worden beschreven vanuit de optiek van zijn moeder. Wat haar rol geweest is komt netjes gezegd niet geheel overeen hoe het in de bijbel is terecht gekomen... Mooi staaltje framing/marketing aan het begin van onze jaartelling :-)

Beautifully written. First thing I've ever read by Colm Tóibín a shot. Guess I have to give Brooklyn a shot!

‘'Because the world is a place of silence, the sky at night when the birds have gone is a vast silent place. No words will make the slightest difference to the sky at night.''

A few years after the events of that nightmarish week, Mary is visited by two men who wish to write about everything that happened. Mary doesn't want to talk to them or to anyone. They can't understand. How could they possibly understand what it is to watch your only child dying in unthinkable agony while his tormentors are either watching idly or casting dice for His clothes nearby? How could they understand the resilience she had to unearth in order not to rush and tear the eyes of the murderers with Her bare hands? But they aren't interested in what She thinks or how She feels, they just want their opinions verified. Mary starts speaking to us instead, going back to the last few months before the death of Her child, before the world changed forever. Except She doesn't care, the son is dead. Needlessly, absurdly, terrifyingly. It is the world, the people that took Him away. How can a mother forgive even if she understands, even if she knows? Tóibín creates a masterpiece around the thoughts and the moving characterization of one of the most beloved religious figures for millions of people.

I didn't expect anything less from one of the greatest of our times. The writing is phenomenal. The descriptive passages resemble the Biblical tone of the New Testament and the dialogue has a period feeling, especially when Pilate addresses the crows. (On a lighter note, before things get unbearably heavy and dark, I feel the need to add that Pilate's interaction with the mob brought to my mind the excellent Andrew Lloyd Webber - Tim Rice Rock Opera Jesus Christ Superstar. ‘'Trial Before Pilate / 39 Lashes'' is one of the finest moments in the show, both the music and the libretto are outstanding.) Mary's words and thoughts are extremely carefully chosen and expressed and they retain a more contemporary, universal feeling. You can ‘'hear'' a kind of solemnity, fierceness and, at the same time, a deep sense that everything is in vain. Mary herself is fierce, independent, determined. Full of a burning rage that turns endless sadness into wrath for the impossible injustice. In my opinion, sometimes, she's also in denial because She knows all fears will prove true in the end...

‘'There are men shouting in the night.''

The way Tóibín unfolds the story and develops events we all know extremely well is fascinating. The dark, foreboding hints of the horror that is to follow are everywhere and the scenery is very powerful. Silence, darkness, incorporeal voices in the middle of the night. An intense feeling of isolation surrounds Mary and Jesus, even though He's followed by a multitude of people, foreshadowing that loss and torment are horrifyingly lonely experiences. It is quite clear that Mary feels threatened by friends and enemies alike. The writer inserts a very interesting, mysterious figure called the Strangler. He seems to follow them everywhere. He commits no crime but he stands there as a symbol of danger and death. I imagined him as a metaphor for Satan.

Now, there are many moments when Tóibín lets the story come into its own. He mixes up some of the events of the New Testament. For instance, the Wedding at Cana takes place before the Raising of Lazarus but unless one is a die-hard purist (in which case they'll abandon the novel before they turn the third page) it makes no difference at all. Now, the Raising of Lazarus is always a moment of reference in any production of the life of Jesus and Tóibín creates an extraordinary sequence. I found his characterization of Lazarus extremely powerful and moving. Lazarus is said to be the one who never smiled again due to the horrors he had witnessed during his four days in the Otherworld and Tóibín remains true to this tradition. He also has Mary contemplating on the gods of the past, implying that there may have been peace if the slight possibility of the coexistence of all religions had become reality. If it weren't for the humans, the fanatics who use religion as a pretext for relentless violence, to justify their own unbearable narrow-mindedness. We still see this every day. Countries are governed by such people, no need to name names, right?

‘'He is to be crucified.''

The tension is masterfully built during the final moments. As we view the incidents exclusively through Mary's eyes, we sense the impending doom as she is the last to know about the arrest of Jesus. At the hour of need, Tóibín writes about loneliness. Cowards slip away, denying any aid or consolation. Never trust relatives, I always say. They are the first to shut the door on your face....Every talented writer is an excellent psychologist, in my opinion. Here, he succeeds in projecting the psychology of the brainless crowd who lust for blood. The violence of the mob, the moment when every human being becomes more ferocious than any animal. Except that animals have a sense of justice. The crowds have nothing. They know nothing and are led blindly. This has been our world's History since the beginning of time.

‘'He was the boy I had given birth to and he was more defenseless now than he had been then.''

The moment when Pilate presents Jesus to the mob was one of the most terrifying in the novel. Tóibín doesn't choose to make use of cheap details or gore that would contaminate the emotional weight of the scene. It is the terror of an incomprehensible justice that is enough. The feeling of seeing a mother watching her child, beaten and humiliated, walking to an unjust, terrifying death, forced to carry the instrument of his execution. The scene of the Crucifixion is swiftly dealt with. Tóibín doesn't need to resort to shocking theatrics. Blood and gore are for idiots.

How did this fail to win the Man Booker Prize in 2013 is beyond me. I haven't read The Luminaries (I intend to do so soon) but I am more than certain that it can't stand next to Tóibín's talent. This is a story of unbearable loss, injustice, and survival through a thick silence of pain and death. It is a terrifying, yet tender, masterpiece and, in my opinion, his best work. For it is the greatest responsibility to reimagine Mary's most tragic moments and bring forth such an excellent result. If nothing else, this is the story of a woman who experienced the most severe blow a parent can accept. It is not a matter of this faith or that but a story of the heart and the soul. One must be made of stone to remain indifferent...

‘'I can tell you now, when you say that he redeemed the world, I will say that it was not worth it. It was not worth it.''

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com

The Virgin Mary spends her old age being cared for by those who followed her son, and recounts important moments in her life, primarily focusing on the crucification of her child. This story is noteworthy because any other book approaching this topic would do so with an agenda to push. This book is not trying to pull you to either side of the “God argument”, but instead tells an honest tale of a woman who loses her son, and is constantly told that his death was “worth it”. The Mary of this short novel is a very eloquent and believable character. The language chosen doesn't quite match up with the language used in the Bible, as the author (wisely) chose to modernize it just enough for the reader's sake.

The most beautiful and thoughtful book on people from religious life I have ever read. This is thoughtul, true and more than anything the first real representation of a Biblical person I have read. Away with the glitz, this is flesh, blodd and earthliness in a marvelous way.

First of all, Meryl Streep. Even if I had not been already interested in this novel, finding out it's read by Meryl Streep? I'm in. And she was brilliant.

The novel itself is a different side to the traditionally told story of the life of Jesus - what if the version passed down through history isn't quite the way it happened? What would Mary's story actually be? Toibin's Mary is not the sweet, joyful, willing handmaiden of the biblical tale - she is practical, and weary, and guarded, and scared, and the author made me believe right along with her.

This is a thought-provoking read, which is sure to cause some to feel unsettled with it's re-imagining of the beloved story. It's a book I will come back to - I think it will hold up to reading again and again. Highly recommended.

Having recently finished reading [b:Great Lion of God|369077|Great Lion of God|Taylor Caldwell|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1188324538s/369077.jpg|359058], a novel about the apostle Paul, I'm a little surprised I so quickly jumped into another Biblical narrative of the early Christian church. But I've been knocking out these Man Booker Prize nominated books this year, and this one had come highly recommended, so why not?

Like the many books in the Christian New Testament, The Testament of Mary is a short work; one could easily read it in one sitting. Because of this, I had wondered if the style would match the writing style of much of the Bible. It does not. The Testament of Mary is told in the straight-forward narrative style of today. Largely, the story focuses on Mary herself, in the years toward the end of her life.

Initially, I really enjoyed this novella. There's a sense of desperation and paranoia in Mary that is engaging and haunting. We see her afraid, questioning everything in the years following her son's crucifixion. Then we see the flashbacks of the grisly crucifixion itself which are beautifully rendered. And somewhere, in the middle of the crucifixion of all places, it sputters to a halt. I lost my connection with Mary. She no longer seemed to be the engaging, broken woman who'd lost everything, but a testing ground for doubt and criticism. In my opinion, she was no longer the grieving mother I could empathize with, but a tangled mess of judgment—of herself, her son, and the overzealous followers that shadowed her. It's hard to rally behind a character with absolutely no compassion or hope. In the end, Mary could not wait for the end to come—only there could I sympathize with her.

The Testament of Mary was good, but it wasn't that good. Poor, poor Mary—a character with so much potential at the beginning—falls apart in far too many ways. Unfortunately, the story fell apart with her. That being said, I loved the idea, enjoyed the writing style, and recognized the potential; I will not let some “mother of god” persuade me to abandon Tóibín.

I don't believe I've hit my max on these New Testament stories either, so forward I go. For my next journey with Jesus, I'm eying Christopher Moore's [b:Lamb|28881|Lamb The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal|Christopher Moore|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1331419009s/28881.jpg|3346728]. I have a feeling that Mary does a better job of keeping her shit together.

This was a thought provoking book, depicting the Gospel story from a different point of view. I liked how throughout Mary talks about being a mother first and last.