Description: When Babylon destroys Jerusalem, as Yahweh warned through his prophets, the captives' bitterness and grief pours out in the Captives' Psalm:
"[By the rivers of Babylon] we sat as exiles, mourning our captivity, and wept with great love for Zion. Our music and mirth were no longer heard, only sadness. We hung up our harps on the willow trees." (Psalm 137:1-2, The Passion Translation)
A young Israelite woman is among them, captured by a mercenary Scythian prince. Driven toward Babylon by both hatred and hope, she endures captivity to reunite with her husband.
But will he be there when she reaches Babylon? Will the prince risk the Scythian throne--and his life--to believe in the Hebrew God? Can they both find what they seek when they meet the prophet Ezekial. . . by the rivers of Babylon?
My Thoughts: I always look forward to reading another Biblical fiction story by Mesu, who has set herself apart as probably my favorite author in the genre. No matter the characters, I can always anticipate learning something new and engaging with Biblical narratives I had given little thought to in the past.
By the Waters of Babylon is a story based on verses which I had never anticipated seeing turned into a work of fiction. Though I have read the Psalms a few times, I have never really thought about them as telling the story of actual events, but rather as songs which expressed abstract ideas. Clearly, I have not been paying as much attention to those Psalms as I should have been.
Story wise, this novella is short but still lives up to the caliber of storytelling which Mesu exhibits in her other works. So often, novellas fall short of many authors' other works, sacrificing plot or character arcs in order to meet the word count. However, Mesu was able to deliver everything that she has in the past. The only downsides for me in this were <spoiler> that it was not the two main characters who were a couple and that we do not know what ultimately happens to Idan. After spending so much time with him, and knowing the danger he faces on his journey home, I would have liked to have known whether his story ended happily or not </spoiler>.
Still, I am so happy that I was able to read this and I will be able to share it with my friends. If you like Biblical fiction, and especially Mesu's other works, I highly recommend you read this.
I have provided an honest review after having received an ecopy of the book from the author.
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