FICTION

The Anchoress

by Robyn Cadwallader
Sarah Crichton: Farrar. May 2015. 320p. ISBN 9780374104252. $26; ebk. ISBN 9780374712617. F
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In 13th-century England, 17-year-old Sarah seals herself in a tiny cell attached to the village church, having chosen to renounce the outside world and live out her days in prayer as the new anchoress. What motivates a young woman to live such an ascetic and isolated life is slowly disclosed during the course of the novel, and what is revealed brings into focus questions related to gender, sexuality, power, fear, shame, and the nature of faith.
VERDICT Careful historical research is blended subtly in this impressive, nuanced debut. While the slow pacing and shift of narration between Sarah and her confessor, Father Ranaulf, might deter some readers, the prose is fluid, lyrical, and accessible. The details on a little-known aspect of medieval monastic life and the tension between Sarah's desire to withdraw from the world and yet remain very much a part of it makes for compelling reading.
Reviewed by Lyndsie Robinson, Milne Lib., SUNY Oneonta , May 15, 2015
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