ADVERTISEMENT
Ashes Like Bread
Jean Hoefling, author
The prophetess Zyla is used to the elders of the clan of Adam and Eve rejecting her dark glimpses into the future, and bitter that she doesn’t receive the honor she deserves. When her forecast of a deadly flood gets her exiled, she and her sister flee the mountain of Eden to live in a sweltering desert chasm among descendants of the murderer Cain. Zyla is willing to do anything to advance her status among the Cainites, even if it means becoming a second wife to her sister's desirable husband, or aligning with forbidden spiritual powers. When all seems lost, will she risk death for love and integrity, or die in the throes of cowardice?
Discover the dark side of compromise in this Old Testament re-imagining about the world's first polygamist family.
Reviews
Hoefling (Gold in Havilah) paints a vivid, bold picture of a clairvoyant woman’s life in this enjoyable take on the Old Testament Genesis story. Zyla lives in a small community on the top of a holy mountain outside the Garden of Eden. The patriarchal community is led by Adam, Eve, and their son, Seth, and once Zyla develops a talent for seeing into the future—something unheard of for a female—she is ostracized. After her mother dies giving birth to a daughter and Zyla is shunned for a vision of a coming flood, she leaves the community with her newborn sister. Zyla and her sister, Adah, eventually settle among the Cainites, and, years later, Adah becomes betrothed to a powerful Cainite. As the flood looms and preparations are made, the sisters must decide who to trust when Adah’s husband lays claim to Zyla as his second wife. Rich in biblical detail and filled with Hoefling’s exposition on scriptural topics, this intense story captures the personal nature of persecution that suffuses the tales of the Old Testament. While the plot is overly complicated, Hoefling’s faithful, determined characters will hold particular appeal for fans of Mesu Andrews. (BookLife)
