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Imagine spending 20 years and a significant portion of your resources researching a compelling and controversial subject, only to have some upstart come along and turn his research on the same subject into the bestselling novel of all time. That would have stopped a lesser soul in its tracks, but journalist Kathleen McGowan soldiered on and self-published THE EXPECTED ONE, knowing her book would not be spared the inevitable comparison with THE DA VINCI CODE. Both novels deal with cultural and oral traditions surrounding the romantic relationship, possible marriage, and unbroken bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. But while Dan Brown's book was becoming a worldwide blockbuster, McGowan's was languishing --- until it was released this summer to a wider audience after it was picked up by Touchstone, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
Still, that did not guarantee commercial success. What did draw attention to the book was the author's unflinching belief that she is among the innumerable descendents of Mary Magdalene, which she discovered in the course of her research. Add to that the accounts of her extraordinary visions of Mary Magdalene, and it's not hard to understand why McGowan became the celebrity du jour over the summer. Skeptics scorned and ridiculed her in part for what they termed inept scholarship, while Magdalene believers embraced and thanked her for rescuing Mary Magdalene from centuries of misunderstanding --- and for showing that Jesus could have been married and a father without abandoning his role as the Son of God.
That's the backstory. But what about the book itself --- its merits as a novel, the quality of the writing, its standing as a page-turner? How does it hold up? Frankly, it doesn't. Before I tell you why I say that, let me issue an important disclaimer: I didn't judge the book by McGowan's scholarship, supernatural experiences, or bloodline claims. None of that mattered to me as I was reading the book --- which, I might add, I really wanted to like.
The primary problem is one that most subsequent problems hinge on: the story is largely autobiographical. McGowan's lead character is one Maureen Paschal, whose research into maligned women in history has narrowed down to one woman in particular, Mary Magdalene. Her research takes her to Jerusalem, Europe and McLean, Virginia, all hotbeds of Magdalene fervor, and she discovers she is a descendant of Mary. Maureen (who, we are constantly reminded, is a cute, petite redhead) is in essence Kathleen.
The personal nature of the book immediately poses a problem for McGowan the journalist --- as early as chapter one, in which Maureen visits the Holy Land. There, she has one experience after another in which she is identified with Mary Magdalene. As I was reading, I wondered why on earth McGowan gave away so much so soon. Plus, the writing was little more than narration in this very early section; it read like a travelogue with a bit of conversation thrown in. Turns out, that's what it was. I later learned that McGowan wrote the Jerusalem section exactly the way the events happened to her. As a journalist she must have found it difficult to fictionalize her reality. But novels require just that; truth can be stranger than fiction, and turning reality into fiction means a writer has to veer from strict adherence to the facts. In this case, true-to-life scenarios ("Maureen did this, and then she did that...") surface far too often and end up hurting rather than enhancing the story.
Then there's the matter of unfortunate timing. I couldn't help but think that the story would have been better told had it taken place 20 or 30 years ago rather than now. Most of the action takes place from 2004 to 2005, and during that time Maureen, the seasoned researcher, is astonished to discover things about Mary Magdalene that the rest of the reading world knew by then. (At one point, I found myself wondering, "Didn't Maureen read --- dare I suggest it --- THE DA VINCI CODE?") In short, THE EXPECTED ONE feels outdated, and at times Maureen comes across as clueless. Thought it's not explicitly stated, she seems unaware that her last name --- Paschal --- is linked to Passover and Easter. Nor does she get the connection between the name of her friend, Tamara Wisdom (is that contrived or what?), and Jesus and Mary's alleged daughter, Tamar, until the end of the book. Tamara, by the way, is the most interesting contemporary character, while Jesus and Mary Magdalene are rightfully the most compelling historical figures. The supposedly charming Lord Bérenger Sinclair, Maureen's host in France, became increasingly annoying with each supercilious "My dear" that he uttered. Other characters came across as lifeless.
McGowan's fiction writing is at its best when she is recounting first-century events through the eyes of Mary Magdalene. But her best writing overall comes at the very end, in the nonfiction afterword. There, she demonstrates where her writing talent truly lies --- as a journalist.
--- Reviewed by Marcia Ford. You may contact Marcia by email (misfit@marciaford.com) or through her website (www.marciaford.com).
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