Unexpected and Compelling Biblical Retellings

Naamah: A Novel by Sarah Blake

Most of america are acquainted with the communicative of Noah and the flood, but you’ve ne'er work it similar this! In this retelling, Blake focuses connected Noah’s wife, Naamah, who kept everyone alive. In this fabulism feminist tale, Naamah meets an angel nether the waters arsenic she questions her life, her circumstances, and desires that drawback her by surprise. It’s a lush, lyrical publication that dares to ideate Naamah and this communicative successful a caller way.

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The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd

Not a retelling per se, but inspired by Biblical stories, this is simply a communicative astir Ana, the woman of Jesus. Growing up successful a affluent household with governmental ties, she’s fiercely independent, secretly learning and writing. She’s expected to wed an older man, but past she meets Jesus and everything changes. She makes a location with him, but her rebellious tone ne'er afloat goes away. When she does thing that puts her astatine risk, she goes to Alexandria, wherever she makes a beingness she ne'er expected.

Maybe It Happened This Way: Bible Stories Reimagined by Rabbi Leah Rachel Berkowitz, Erica Wovsaniker, and Katherine Messenger

This publication is due for kids, but it’s besides thing that adults volition enjoy. The stories aren’t transgressive, but the characters aren’t docile oregon precisely similar they were successful the Bible, either. These stories are retold utilizing the conception of midrash. This is the Jewish conception of commentary connected the Bible, by exploring the meaning of the words of the story. It tin research questions wrong the text, marque connections betwixt things, oregon respond to the substance itself. Berkowitz and Wovsaniker bring up the thought that possibly the Bible isn’t the full communicative — possibly determination was more, we conscionable don’t cognize it.

Moses, Man of the Mountain by Zora Neale Hurston

I ne'er knew Hurston wrote this until I saw it successful my ZNH boxed acceptable I got past year. I work this 1 slowly, to truly admit the trade of it. It’s based connected the Exodus communicative but Hurston blends Old Testament Moses with Black folklore Moses, and the effect is amazing. This is much of a retelling with societal commentary connected modern time beingness (it was written successful 1939) and Black history, with liberties taken with aspects of the existent story.

The Book of V.: A Novel by Anna Solomon

A reimagining of sorts of Vashti’s story, this publication follows 3 women successful assorted clip periods, portion besides weaving the stories of Esther and Vashti done the novel. Esther is successful past Persia, Vivian lives successful Watergate-era D.C., and Lily is successful 2016 Brooklyn. All 3 women are faced with questions of intersexual desire, sex expectations, and struggles against societal constraints. It’s a nuanced, layered look astatine women’s lives and relationships.

Many Waters by Madeleine L’Engle

This is the 4th publication successful the Wrinkle quintet (yes! There are five, if you didn’t know, and they are each fabulous). As a kid, I ne'er realized the undertones of Christianity successful L’Engle’s books. When I yet reread Wrinkle and past work the remainder of them, I was similar oh, good determination it is. This publication is possibly the astir evident one: it’s a retelling of Noah and the flood from the constituent of presumption of Meg Murry’s brothers Sandy and Dennys. It decidedly has a antithetic code than the remainder of the series, successful my opinion. And the intersexual references mightiness not beryllium for everyone, particularly younger readers (there’s the connection “slut” and a statement of idiosyncratic arsenic “an casual lay”), truthful your mileage whitethorn alteration with this one. Is it worthy the work due to the fact that it’s L’Engle? I deliberation so.

Cain: A Novel by José Saramago, translated by Margaret Jull Costa

This is rather the retelling of Old Testament stories, with Cain arsenic the protagonist. After sidesplitting his member Abel, he’s condemned to rotation everlastingly and helium pairs up with a donkey to marque his way. He becomes portion of assorted Biblical stories and has encounters with antithetic Biblical characters, portion besides battling with a G-d who is portrayed arsenic cruel and unfair. Irreverent, humorous, and thought-provoking, this is decidedly not the Bible communicative you grew up with — but it’s large that it exists now.

Forging a Nightmare by Patricia A. Jackson

This isn’t needfully a Biblical retelling, but it is based connected the publication of Revelations. When a acceptable of murders successful NYC takes place, the lone commonality is that the victims each had 12 fingers and 12 toes — signs of them being descendants of Nephilim, oregon fallen angels. Michael Childs is an FBI cause tasked with the case, but erstwhile helium finds retired helium himself is simply a Nephilim and whitethorn beryllium successful danger, everything changes.

How the Light Gets In by Jolina Petersheim

If you’re looking for an absorbing retelling of the Book of Ruth, this communicative acceptable successful a Mennonite assemblage has you covered. After Ruth’s hubby is killed portion overseas moving for a alleviation organization, she goes to Wisconsin with her kids and mother-in-law to hide him. She’s trying to fig retired what to bash next, and possibly the Mennonite assemblage volition beryllium a peaceful spot to bash that. They’re welcomed by Elam, her husband’s cousin, and she soon finds respite successful the beingness she starts to physique determination — and possibly adjacent caller love.

Bread of Angels by Tessa Afshar

This is simply a retelling of the communicative of Lydia, from the New Testament, who sold purple dye. After a betrayal, she goes to Philippi with lone her father’s concealed formulas for dyes, and yet becomes a palmy merchant. When she meets Paul the apostle, she becomes a convert, but erstwhile her past catches up with her, her religion whitethorn not beryllium enough. Afshar has a estimation for being a writer who breathes caller beingness into Biblical stories, truthful if you’re particularly funny successful New Testament retellings, decidedly cheque this 1 out.