The Testament of Mary, Colm Tóibín

I was very lucky to be given the whole of the Man Booker 2013 short list for my birthday.  All of the books are in hardback. The longest book was the winner, so I decided to tackle them in length order.

The Testament of Mary is the shortest by a long way.

Narrated by Mary, mother of Jesus, this is her take on some of the gospel stories.  The raising of Lazarus is included, as is the Wedding at Cana, before we get to Jesus' final days and his crucifixion.

Mary has two men with her who seem to be there to watch over her, but also to record her stories.  They get agitated when she tries to tell things the way that she sees them, if they don't fit in with the myth that the writers are trying to create.

I can see how this book would divide people, with many seeing it as blasphemous, but I can admire such a quantity of elegant writing in such a short book.