Epiphany is not widely celebrated by Protestants and yet the journey of the Magi captivates, inspires, and provokes questions even to this day. Susan Fletcher, a fantasy author I first encountered as a child through her Dragon Chronicles, decided to probe the depths of this story, producing a beautiful work that both deciphers and upholds the mystery of these gentiles who sought out the King of the Jews.
The tale does not begin with the wise men proper but instead introduces two orphans living on the streets of a Persian city: the narrator Mitra and her young brother Babak. Guised as a boy, Mitra scrounges out a living for them both while dreaming of greater things. But Babak's dreams bring both new opportunities and dangers when it becomes known that he can peer into the minds of others if given a belonging of their's to sleep with. The two are soon pressed into the service of the Magi on their trip to Bethlehem.
Few imaginings of the wise men are as historically raw as Fletcher's, who spent time in present-day Iran to research their origins. She brings a vivid imagination to this work to create sensory rich settings, whether that be the streets Mitra and Babak wander as they search fort their next meal or the sands of the desert and the cacophony of a caravan.
The Magi themselves are fully developed into three distinct personalities, each with their own goals and schemes, not wholly pure and yet in their own flawed human means seeking the sublime. Don't look for any pious homilies from anyone here. Do, however, listen to the desires of each character. All of them want the peace, joy, and love we now associate with Christmas. None, however, are sure in what way to find it.
Mitra herself is an arresting heroine, full of spirit and determination and yet allowing those very qualities to blind her to the reality of a situation. She wheels and deals, constantly seeking an edge, refusing to give up, only realizing over the course of the book's journey that she's no longer certain what to fight for. Her's is a coming of edge tale about letting go of past wrongs, even those we cause ourselves, and even when we long to hold on to the pain for fear of what we will lose with it.
To say much about the time spent in Bethlehem is to spoil much of the ending, but suffice to say that confronting the reality of the Christ child is ever bit as bewildering and transformative for the characters as could be wished. The finale brings to a head all the disparate motivations of the caravan and forces each person to make decisions that have far more power to change their own lives than that of the holy family.
Alphabet of Dreams is a great way to round out the holiday season, with enough character, story, and wonder to appeal to nearly anyone's tastes. Rather than a new Christmas story, I'd call it an ancient one, hearkening back to a time when the nativity was unknown and the Messianic prophecies still a mystery. Suitable for middle school readers and up, it enriches the traditional Christmas narrative with a story that, if fictional, nevertheless reads of Truth.
This review is also posted on Goodreads and Amazon. I did not receive anything from the publisher or author for this review. The cover was designed by Krista Vossen. The book is currently available from Simon & Schuster as a Paperback ($7.99) and via Amazon as an eBook ($7.59).
