Poisoned Honey: A Story of Mary Magdalene (review)

After a fever rages through her family, killing both her father and her fiancé, Mari of Magdala suddenly finds herself married off to a wealthy old man she barely knows as a result of her scheming brother's ruthless bargains. Looking for refuge from her unwelcoming new home, Mari seeks counsel from an Egyptian wisewoman and discovers her ability to converse with spirits. Her power soon becomes uncontrollable, though, and when she's overcome by demons, Mari seeks salvation with a traveling rabbi. Neither the prostitute described by Pope Gregory I nor the spiritual chalice envisioned by Dan Brown, this portrait of Mary Magdalene is far more humble, presenting a naïve and confused young girl searching for a way to make her life tolerable. Her voice rings true both in its historical detail and her struggle for some kind of certainty as she is abandoned by those that claim to care for her and deceived by charlatans. Unfortunately, sporadically placed chapters describing the life of another apostle, Matthew the tax collector, disrupt the trajectory of her narrative and completely jar the reader out of the story. The significance of these intermittent chapters never really becomes clear, as Matthew's role in Mari's journey is minimal and his story seems a superfluous addition. Nonetheless, Mari's quest for truth and her ultimate redemption are inspiring, and those readers looking for another take on this controversial figure may find this a rewarding complement to Napoli's Song of the Magdalene (BCCB 1/97).