Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Sinners and the Sea-Rebecca Kanner

Sinners and the Sea


Rebecca Kanner

Howard/Simon & Schuster, Apr 2 2013, $22.99

ISBN: 9781451695236



She was born with a wine mark over her left eye. The midwife tried something with the afterlife to rid the newborn of the mark, but that failed. Her father tried all types of remedies that also failed. He refused to name her as the mark turned from red wine to a deep purple. No one would touch her once her father gave up his efforts after sacrificing a finger for deity intervention. No one wanted her even knowing they would inherit her father’s olive grove as all feared she was the devil’s spawn since only sinners have marks on their face.



Six-hundred year old Noah seeks a woman of virtue to name as his Wife. He chooses the ostracized female with the mark on her face. While Noah preaches to the sinners of the world to repent, his dedicated Wife raises their children and helps nurture the fallen. When God orders Noah to construct a giant ark to house his family and the animals of the world when the torrent begins, Wife loyally supports her distant husband though she fears the sinful villagers of Sorum will kill her mate, their three sons and her as devil lunatics before he completes the project.



Sinners and the Sea is a terrific retelling of the Genesis story of Noah from the perspective of his Wife, who becomes the Eve of the post-flood world. The key characters feel genuine as each has flaws with Wife ashamed of her facial mark and feeling alone as her much older spouse chats with the Lord while ignoring her. Readers will appreciate the Sinners and the Sea as faith proves a complex convoluted feeling.



Harriet Klausner



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