Sue Monk Kidd’s first novel in six years will tell the story of a woman who married Jesus.
Penguin Random House imprint Viking announced that Kidd’s The Book of Longings will be published next year. The novel, Viking said, is “an extraordinary story set in the first century about a woman who finds her voice and her destiny in a time of great despair and great hope.”
The book follows Ana, a “rebellious and ambitious” woman who meets Jesus of Nazareth, who in turn “becomes a floodgate for her intellect, but also the awakener of her heart.”
“Grounded in meticulous historical research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus’s life that focuses on his humanity, The Book of Longings is an inspiring account of one woman’s bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place, and culture devised to silence her,” Viking said.
Kidd became a literary sensation in 2001 with her novel The Secret Life of Bees, a coming-of-age story set in 1960s South Carolina. The book was a New York Times bestseller, and spawned a 2008 film adaptation starring Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson and Queen Latifah.
She has touched on religion in her previous nonfiction books, including God’s Joyful Surprise: Finding Yourself Loved and The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman’s Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine.
In a news release, Kidd said she wanted to portray Jesus as “fully human” in her new novel. “Writing from a novelist’s perspective and not a religious one, I was drawn to his humanity, which can often be overlooked,” she said.
The Book of Longings is slated for publication on April 28, 2020.
Michael Schaub is an Austin, Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
