So here is a little bit about why I love Tosca's writing. First of all, she has a way with words that is both poetic and simple at the same time. It's not so poetic that it's hard to understand, but the way she strings words together really creates a beautiful masterpiece. It's like listening to well-performed harmony. Secondly, I love when she writes in the first person. She has been able to portray characters so in depth in ways we haven't thought of them before. I know she does a ton of research for her historical books, so a lot of work and thought goes into her character creations, and it just shows!
Another thing I like about Tosca's writing and why I believe it is so unique is because she explores chracters that are notorious or perhaps have been looked over or have had a bad reputation, but she helps us to see them in a new light. Basically, it makes you think. And that's good, especially when it comes to the Bible. Because so often we either skim over the stories and the characters so we don't get any sense of personality or motivation for these people's actions; or we just go by the Bible stories told to us when we were children, which hardly ever give us a wide or a deep perspective.
You may think the hero of the story, or the main character, needs to be redeemable. Tosca takes a risky approach and writes about characters such as a demon, Eve(the first woman/also the first sinner), and Judas(who is known for betraying Jesus to death.) I appreciate her endeavor to reveal more about these characters primarily because one: they are human and we can relate to some of their feelings and motives(excluding the demon;)), and two: they help to portray the other characters around them in a new light.
I love the book Demon because essentially it is about a demon telling a man the story of Lucifer's fall from Heaven and the creation of the world and man from his bitter perspective. Even though this demon is hateful and cynical, the story he tells is true, and it helped me to be even more grateful for what Jesus has done for us. This demon character's version of the story reveals how much God loves people and the lengths he went to in order to redeem his prized creation, and how audacious that is. The demon is angry about it because he has not received the same favor, but I am left with a sense of wonder and gratefulness for God's mercy as a reader.
The book called Havah is the story of Eve from her creation to her death. I enjoyed this book because it was fascinating to me to grasp what her life might have been like from start to finish with all that she went through. It helps us connect with the first woman on a more personal level, as we journey from her days in bliss in the garden of Eden, to her and Adam's banishment, to them starting their family and living life with this sense of loss because they are no longer in paradise. It was also very interesting to see how, because she lived so much longer than we do now, she saw several generations of her lineage be born. I mean, everyone on Earth came from her. I've never thought about Eve and Adam that in depth until I read this novel.
And finally, I love the book Iscariot, which is about Judas, because it explores his early life as well as some of the possible motivations for his decision to follow Jesus as well as to betray him later. It makes us think about it differently, that maybe his motivation was not what we think. Judas was a man who loved Jesus, just like us. This book makes you ask the question, would I have done the same thing he did? I also appreciate the character development in this book and how we get to see Judas' life from childhood to his death. He is a very well-rounded character. And last of all, my favorite thing about this novel is how it reveals Jesus in such a personal way. Judas, of course, was one of the disciples, who were Jesus' closest followers. I love how Tosca potrays the intimate friendship the disciples shared with Jesus. It made me feel closer to him as well, just to see how real and human Jesus was to his friends.
The last reason you should read Tosca's books is that she co-authored an incredible trilogy called The Books of Mortals with author Ted Dekker, who is a New York Times Bestselling author and pretty much my favorite. ;) Anyone brilliant enough to write alongside Ted Dekker is worth reading in my opinion. But she is good on her own anyway!!
Alright, so if you actually got through this, congratulations! And now go buy one or all of Tosca Lee's books! http://www.toscalee.com/
While you're visiting her website, make sure to sign up for her newsletter, where there are give-aways, bonus chapters to read, and a free magazine subscription. Go for it!
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