And in return I will do for them what I can, but no more than that. “I like it that they feed me and pay for my clothes and protect me. There are men who watch her, come and question her time and time again, wanting her account of those days. I do not need to keep food for him, or water, or a place in my bed, or whatever news I could gather that might interest him”Īs the novel starts Mary is an ageing woman, it is many years since her son died, and she is living alone exiled in Ephesus, a widow who misses her husband, and remembers her son in his boyhood, running around as any other child. I keep the chair in the room because he will not come back. It belongs to memory, it belongs to a man who will not return, whose body is dust but who once held sway in the world. Perhaps in the past the chair was in daily use somewhere, but it came through this door during a time when I needed desperately to remember some years when I knew love.
“There is one chair in this room in which no one has ever sat. Through Mary’s eyes we see some of the events that were proclaimed as miracles, we experience the horror and brutality of execution by crucifixion. Mary takes a fairly sceptical view of the things her son and his friends have been saying, she worries at the effect his words will have on those in power. Mary is a mother wanting her son to come home, to not put himself against the ruling factions who saw him as a political figure, and therefore a threat to themselves. Alarmed at the men who surrounded him, anxious about their influence over him, wondering at the things he was saying. She’s an angry, grieving mother, looking back at the time when she began to lose her son. Maybe for the first time Mary is a real woman, no longer just the benignly smiling face of a thousand religious images, Tóibín, has fleshed her out – a woman living in fear, confused and wondering at what her son was becoming. She describes a time of fear and suspicion – a time when Rome ruled the world. How she had to flee in fear of her own life. Here Mary gives us her account of her son’s life, and death. “Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” – We know Jesus of Nazareth lived, he is an historical fact – further than that is a matter of faith – and not a subject I want to debate here – I consider faith a deeply personal thing, which while I may not share it, I do respect it. Instead he presents us with a sensitive and credible story of how it might have been for this woman caught up in extraordinary events. However Tóibín doesn’t actually come down on any particular side, he isn’t saying Jesus was the son of God, and he isn’t saying it’s all a fairy-tale. I think that your response to this beautifully written little novel will depend quite a lot on your religious standpoint.
The Mary of the title is of course Mary the mother of Jesus. I did not enjoy it, save for the exquisite voice of Meryl Streep.Taking a look at an ancient story from an entirely new angle Colm Tóibín, presents us with a novella that will undoubtedly split opinion. From a historical POV, perhaps this might be referred to as alternative history, at least in my opinion. Mr Toibin’s writing style is unique, told in a continuous breath of Mary’s thoughts, and was sometimes confusing and tiresome. In reality, she “kept all these sayings in her heart” KNOWING who he was, and BELIEVING in him. While true, many of his family did not accept him as the Messiah, Mary was not one of those. While I must give kudos to Colm Toibin’s originality, I have to say that I was quite taken back by portraying Mary as a cynic who often time appears not to have a clue what is going on with her son. However, I must admit there was several times I almost stopped listening, not because of the narration (which was perfection), but for the storyline. I thought, “Well, anyone who was able to get her to narrate a book. To be honest, I bought the audio version solely on a whim and because I adore Meryl Streep. I took some time to truly think about what I wanted to say about this book.
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