Dawn of Grace

November 11, 2024
This riveting historical reaches into the pages of the New Testament to reimagine the life of Mary Magdalene. Smith (The Ark and the Dove) paints Mary as a fragile young woman whose mother died young and who is raised mostly by servants while her father tends to his business. When he fails to return from a trip, Mary’s best friend Susanna—who’s possessed by demons—urges her to summon spirits that might help find him. A desperate Mary agrees but regrets it when the spirits of multiple dead family members refuse to leave her. Wracked by anxiety, she hides evidence of her possession long enough to go through with an arranged marriage but her husband discovers the truth and banishes her. When he dies a few years later, a friend invites Mary and Susanna to come on a trip to see a new preacher named Jesus in hopes they might be healed by him. From there, the narrative chronicles Jesus’s public ministry, death, and resurrection through Mary’s eyes. Smith gets especially inventive in crafting Mary’s childhood and young adulthood, about which little is known—her demonic possession is powerfully rendered. The result is a sharp and nuanced take on the murky life of a biblical figure and the volatile period in which she lived. Readers will be spellbound.

January 10, 2025
Smith's latest novel about a biblical woman tells the dramatic story of Mary Magdalene. Mary's childhood is lonely. Her mother died giving birth to her, and Mary has no siblings. Her father is a landowner who encourages her to learn, but he spends little time with her; instead, she's with the servants or her close friend, Susanna. Secretly attracted to spirits and idols, which are starting to control her, Susanna convinces Mary that they can help her, especially when her father goes missing on a trip from Jericho to Jerusalem and is found murdered. Mary marries Susanna's brother, Marcus, only to lose him, too. She's driven by demons within to roam Galilee in despair; her clothes are dirty and torn, and she won't eat. Mary Clopas, the new overseer's wife, offers to bring Mary to Jesus, and Susanna goes with them. Jesus delivers them both, restoring them to their right minds. Mary witnesses Jesus' ministry and is the first to see Jesus after the Resurrection. Smith conveys Mary's powerful emotions and deep faith in this moving and inspiring retelling.

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