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“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.
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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.
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Taking a look at an ancient story from an entirely new angle Colm Tóibín, presents us with a novella that will undoubtedly split opinion.