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Colm Tóibín, author of The Testament of Mary

In the ancient town of Ephesus, Mary lives alone, years after her son’s crucifixion. She does not agree that her son is the Son of God nor that his death was “worth it.” She judges herself ruthlessly, and her judgment of others is equally harsh. This woman whom we know from centuries of paintings and scripture as the docile, loving, silent, long-suffering, obedient, worshipful mother of Christ becomes a tragic heroine.

Week of February 3, 2014

Releases for the week of February 3rd include SEE NOW THEN, Jamaica Kincaid's first novel in 10 years; Bill Cheng's SOUTHERN CROSS THE DOG, a debut in which the bonds between three childhood friends are upended by the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927; and WHISTLING PAST THE GRAVEYARD by Susan Crandall, a coming-of-age story about a nine-year-old girl who runs away from her Mississippi home in 1963, befriends a lonely woman suffering loss and abuse, and embarks on a life-changing road trip.