The Gospel of Salome
In Kaethe Schwehn’s numinous historical novel The Gospel of Salome, an aging physician is asked about her connection to Jesus of Nazareth.
In 38 CE, Salome, an elderly Greek woman and physician with a thriving clinic in Alexandria, meets an earnest visitor from Jerusalem, John Mark, who follows the fledgling Christian faith. John Mark arrives to speak in the city’s synagogues about the good news of Jesus. But he is insecure in telling the story and has niggling doubts.
John Mark comes to Salome because it is rumored that she knew Jesus. Salome is hesitant to look back, but the fright of her fading memories and creeping dementia convinces her to open up. Her story becomes more urgent as tensions reach a fever pitch against the Jewish population of Alexandria. A riot threatens their lives and puts into question the possibility of John Mark being able to stay long enough to hear Salome’s final, shocking disclosure.
The narrative moves like a metronome through time. Salome’s memories are a warm window into her formative years learning medicine. Indeed, the prose shimmers thanks to her organic details about the biology of the human body. Mari, Josef, and Salome have disagreements over Jesus’s future; these are used to reframe the gospel story and its characters in refreshing and profound ways, putting messy flesh on names from antiquity. Moments of agonizing emotion and callous evil arise throughout, reflecting the complex human dramas of first-century society.
The Gospel of Salome is an enthralling biblical novel in which a woman reckons with her past, helping a man choose what story he should tell the world.
Reviewed by
Peggy Kurkowski
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
