The Book of Abish

by Mette Ivie Harrison

The Book of Abish, Mette Harrison’s follow-up novel to The Book of Laman, stands on its own as deep re-imagining of the story of Ammon--told through the eyes of the servant Abish. Harrison gives Abish a history and a personality and tells us that, like her, we can trust our own spiritual experiences and that God loves us absolutely and unconditionally. This is the message that Abish tells her people and that Harrison tells her readers: God loves you. God will talk to you. You are enough, and you don’t need Nephites, or kings, or fathers, churches, or men, or anybody else to tell you this because you can trust your own spiritual experiences. And when the time is right, you can change your world.

Genres: Religion, Fiction, Feminism, Lds, Historical Fiction, Historical

190 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2019

About the author

My name is pronounced "Metty" like my mother's "Betty." It is Danish, and we were all named after ancestors. I guess by the time they got to number nine (out of eleven), it was getting tricky. So I got the funny Danish name no one knew how to prounounce. In Denmark, it should be "meta" like "metaphysical." It's from the Greek for "pearl." And no, it's not short for anything. Not even Mediterannean.

My first book, THE MONSTER IN ME was accepted for publication in 1999 and was published in 2002. My second book, MIRA, MIRROR was published in 2004. The latest book, THE PRINCESS AND THE HOUND , was published in 2007. A sequel, THE PRINCESS AND THE BEAR, came out in April of 2009.

I now live in Utah with my husband and 5 children, ages 5 to 14. I write during nap time, or at 4 in the morning, or while the broccoli for dinner is burning. Whenever I get a chance. I love to write the kind of books that I love to read. And I love to discover what is going to happen next, just like a reader would. I also do some racing in triathlon.

from http://www.metteivieharrison.com/myli...

Reviews

[conor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much like Mette's previous book in this genre, The Book of Laman, The Book of Abish quietly and carefully builds to a powerful and spiritual conclusion. The background that Mette builds for Abish and the Lamanites is striking and adds character and depth to a narrative that many Mormons know well. The book is packed with women and uses that to push and stretch and complicate the male-centered Book of Mormon narrative.

The early chapters of the book effectively lay the groundwork for the spiritual powerhouse of the conclusion. The most effective moments of the book for me were where it adds color and character and interiority to existing Book of Mormon characters. Mette is gifted at humanizing her characters and their spirituality. The interactions between Ammon and Abish are productive and provocative. The questions and ideas that the text raises about what happens after the Book of Mormon narrative ends. The Book of Abish challenges us to think of new perspectives and the ways that those not often included in initial tellings may change and reinterpret our understanding of events. And it helps us see the different callings that we all have in this life, as members of the Body of Christ. Well worth your time.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had high expectations for this book, a retelling of the Abish story from The Book of Mormon, but they were not met. The characters do not inhabit a world that matches my conception of a Book of Mormon world. Abish grows up in a privileged life, with boxes of toys, her own play house, and silk (not introduced to the Americas until the late 1500s). At one point, Abish is with her mom going clothes shopping at the market and asks a strange man why he prefers to spend time with his son. First--the Lamanites have such a large society that they have luxury goods? And they don't know everyone in their city? And the society is arranged in such a way that a young girl can approach a strange man in public and this is not a strange thing? And the men shake hands with one another? I would have preferred a more consistent modern setting, because these kinds of details made it difficult to immerse myself in the narrative. I would have liked some evidence that this story was occurring in a North American setting rather than a European feudal one (other than a chariot pulled by... goats??).

Setting the the lack of world-building aside, other than Abish, most of the characters were one-dimensional. My favorite part was when Ammon arrived and we got to see his actions through Abish's eyes. I would have preferred this book as a short story, without the first half, which seemed over long a too "poor Abish" for my tastes.

[Karl Nehring · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Mette Harrison has really hit her stride in this latest novel based on characters from the Book of Mormon. Her previous novel in this style, “The Book of Laman,” was interesting but never quite believable, but “The Book of Abish” features a character with real depth and dimensionality. For a character with an appearance of only a few verses in the Book of Mormon, Harrison has fashioned a backstory that is both believable and interesting. Her Abish emerges as a fully-formed female character whose actions are understandable in light of her family situation and her personal spiritual development. The story of Ammon and King Lamoni also gets woven into the tale, again in understandable, plausible terms. All in all, “The Book of Abish” is a real delight, an entertaining expansion of a character from the Book of Mormon, but one need not be Mormon to enjoy it. “The Book of Abish,” like Abish herself, is quite capable of standing on its own two feet.

[Exponent II · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abish is one of the missionary heroes of The Book of Mormon and also one of only three women whose names are mentioned. Have you ever wanted to know more about her personality, her life, and how she ended up at the king’s court? This book is the story of Abish’s life. While it is fiction, I believe it can remind us that there’s so much more to Abish than what is written in The Book of Mormon.

The foreword says that Abish “plays an important ecclesiastical role that does not require the permission of any man.” It further states that the great message Abish brings is, “You are enough, and you don’t need Nephites, or kings, or fathers, or churches, or men, or anybody else to tell you this because you can trust your own spiritual experiences. And when the time is right, you can change your world.” I love these quotes and I feel that the story definitely speaks this message.

The Book of Abish begins with Abish’s birth and goes through her childhood and then part of her adult years. The story moves pretty fast and towards the end reaches the missionary act that we know of, with Abish rounding up the Lamanites and waking up the queen.

To read the rest of the review: https://www.the-exponent.com/book-rev...

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. Based on a short segment of the Book of Mormon, this is fictional religious history. The backstory developed for Abish is realistic, relatable, and inspiring. I really appreciate the way the author approached these people that we know very little about and wove a story. Reading this helped me remember that everyone has a story, if we only knew them. Uplifting and questioning at the same time - very human and hopeful.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book breathed life into the dusty, old King Jamesian prose of the BoM. It helped me remember that the people in this book had rich, meaningful lives. The characters of our histories aren't just a footnote or a name hastily mentioned in one or two verses. They laughed, they cried, they fell in love, they experienced suffering. The full range of human emotion was theirs and I fear that's often erased when we seek to pluck out a verse or two to serve as the day's platitude. There's so much we can learn from these stories when we allow ourselves to more fully experience them. I particularly appreciated the gendered lens Harrison brought to this story. For a work like the BoM that's so lacking in women's voices, it was refreshing to read this celebration of its oft-voiceless women.

I'll admit I may be predisposed to enjoying such writing as I was an avid reader of the "Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites" series as a teenager. I love good historical fiction so to find a book that also centers on a story that was formative in my spiritual upbringing, was a joy. I would love to see similar such works for other religious traditions. I may have found a new favorite genre to add to my ever-growing list!

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an uplifting, spiritual read. Most of the book focuses on economic tension between men and women, sometimes with very disturbing events. It's about how a woman transcends all of it, and how spiritual experiences can put people on equal terms and transform them. I liked this creative spin off from the book of mormon.

[Margie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really give this book 3.5. It has an interesting plot and smooth writing, yet it was hard for me to reconcile my feelings about a real historical person being given such a fictional background. Still, I liked the creativity and wish there were more facts available on this ancient heroine.