Isaiah’s Daughter tells the story of orphan Ishma, who finds refuge in the prophet Isaiah’s home after the violent deaths of her parents during the sacking of Bethlehem.
In the fullness of time Ishma is adopted by Isaiah, and given a new name, Hepzibah, and her childhood friendship with Prince Hezekiah matures into love. But these are turbulent times, Hezekiah’s father King Ahaz is a cruel man and Isaiah’s prophecies are often increasingly confusing and are not well received.
Mesu Andrews has written another superb Biblical novel. Her great talent is to open the lands, peoples, and times of the Bible to us 21st century readers. She has a gift for creating characters with flaws and failings as well as strengths, and for creating settings which you can almost feel.
In Isaiah’s Daughter, we are given a powerful insight into the life of a prophet, with all the challenges, confusions, and risk that such a role carried. While it’s very clear this is a novel, it has much to offer in terms of enabling a deeper connection with the cultures and peoples of the Bible.