Mesu Andrews is one of the best Biblical Literature storytellers today. I am never disappointed when I pick up one of her novels to read. In Feast or Famine is an exquisite tale that has all the hallmarks of a superb Andrews novel: impeccable attention to historical detail, settings written so beautifully I feel like I am transported in time, characters who are complex, realistic, and often endearing, and themes that transcend time and place. Of all the many wonderful aspects to this novel, the divers themes and discussion points resonated with me the most. The first is the idea of family. Everyone knows that Joseph was betrayed and sold into slavery by his family. That betrayal cut Joseph deeply, so much so it had to have changed how he saw family. There is a moment in this story when Joseph ponders what it takes to be a family. He ruminates, “Though they weren’t [Manasseh’s] blood relatives, they were bound by love in a protective family who cared more about people than power.” I think this moment is powerful in the story for sure, but it’s a powerful truth in today’s world as well. Family is hard. Many times, family can be disappointing. Blood relatives should be those you can count on to have your back and to support you. But, sometimes, blood is not actually thicker than water. Sometimes, it is the tribe you form outside of family that is, indeed, thicker than water. It’s sad, but it is truth. I appreciate wanting to have deep ties towards the biological family God provided, and I do believe that forgiveness and restoration is possible when family ties go astray, but I also believe that God provides “family” in unique ways beyond biology. Ways that provide us with the love and support we so desperately crave, and the way God perhaps intended “family” to be. In this way, these “family” members are tremendous blessings in their own right, and often provide a healing balm to hurt, lost, and broken souls. This is something that Joseph learns over time in this story. It is a great reminder for me to be uber thankful for the extra “family” God has put into my life.

A second theme that resonated with me is illustrated through Asenath’s relationship with her incredibly frustrating and selfish father. Asenath’s father is awful. He is self-serving, manipulative, and abusive. He shows love by bribing with gifts and then taking away those gifts if the receiver doesn’t do what he wants. This is actually not love at all. Over the course of Asenath and Joseph’s relationship, Asenath does come to realize how toxic and dangerous her father truly is. BUT the draw to her father is magnetic. It’s like a moth to flame. She knows she should cut ties with her dangerous father, but her heart just won’t let her. There is a moment where Asenath chastises herself in regards to her father. She ponders, “How could I still care for an abi who had hurt me so deeply?” I related so intensely to Asenath in this moment. I think some of us continue to run back to the parents who hurt us because we cannot fathom that they would choose to love themselves more than those of us they brought into this world. So we give these parents a second, third, hundredth chance because maybe this next time will be the time they become the parents we so crave. We do this, not because we are gluttons for punishment, but because the alternative is too difficult to accept…our parents don’t want us. I won’t tell you how Asenath reconciles her daddy-issues. Don’t want to chance spoiling a thing. But I will say, for me, the best thing I ever did was realize that my one true Father is God, and He is the only Parent I need.

In Feast or Famine is another home run by Mesu Andrews. This novel has intense depth and complexity. It is so well written and so highly engaging I could not put the book down. If you are a fan of Biblical Literature at its finest, if you love excellent historical fiction, and if you appreciate a story filled with thoughtful and timely themes then this is the book for you.

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, WaterBrook and Multnomah, via NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.