Today I’m pleased to share a debut biblical fiction author and her work on a woman that we know only a little about in the bible. Yes, Rahab is a prostitute, and so I warn you there may be uncomfortable topics here. But rest assured, they are handled with grace and discretion.
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About the Book
Rahab: Hidden Scars on March 3, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Christian / Historical, Biblical, Fiction / Christian / Biblical
Pages: 318
Amazon | GoodreadsWhen Rahab’s face is scarred and her marriage prospects ruined, her father forces her into prostitution to recoup her lost bride price. With her new place of business near the main gate of Jericho, she is witness to the number of people who have entered the city to flee the approaching Israelites.
Despite Moses' assurance of Yahweh's mercy, Israel is a people always at war, with elders who die in the wasteland of the Sinai desert. And as the leader of the tribe of Judah, Salmon is at the fore, dispensing Yahweh’s justice.
While Salmon wishes to see Yahweh’s mercy, Rahab looks for salvation. Is either possible when the people of Israel are on a course to enact judgment and destruction across the land of Canaan? Or will the survival of a prostitute from the city of Jericho be the mercy Salmon has been searching for?
My Perspective
Watch out biblical fiction fans, there is a new author in town. Robekah Gyger has done a beautiful job writing her debut novel, and I cannot wait to see what she brings to readers in the future! Her creativity, research, and biblical knowledge shines in her debut novel. And yes, she does take liberties with things – that’s the wonderful thing about biblical fiction. It’s fiction! It’s not meant to be fact, it’s meant to imagine the rest of the story that the bible doesn’t tell us. It’s meant to have us reaching for our bibles to find out what God says about the story. And Gyger does just that.
The way Gyger tells Rahab’s story was simply fascinating. Honestly, I had never given much thought to how Rahab ended up in the position that she did, but Gyger’s take on it made sense, and was very believable. And I appreciated the look into her thoughts throughout the story. They made me stop and really think about Rahab and what couldn’t have really been the reason behind her circumstances. And I did read her story in the bible afterwards to compare. The truth is, we don’t know a lot about her – and I appreciated the way Gyger brought her to life.
I also enjoyed reading Salmon’s chapters. It provided an interesting point of view of being an Israelite back in that time. Sure, we all know the story of the Battle of Jericho, but do we ever stop and think about the individual people involved in it, and what it was like for them? I know I don’t as often as I should, and Gyger really made them come alive. I appreciated that about her writing.
Biblical fiction fans will enjoy this debut novel by Rebekah Gyger. I’m excited to see how her writing grows in the future and what stories she’ll bring us next. I received a complimentary copy of this novel. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
About the Author
Rebekah Gyger is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, with a major in Anthropology and a minor in Religious Studies with an emphasis in early Judaism. In 2015, she spent the summer in Jordan as part of an archaeological dig team and was able to visit numerous Biblical sites, as well as experience Middle Eastern culture. As of now, she works as an archaeologist in the United States of America doing cultural resource management. Her first novel is Rahab: Hidden Scars, a Biblical fiction novel set during the fall of Jericho.
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