.LacyMB chats with alisonlwisdom about her new novel TheBurningSeason, a story that wrestles with almost painfully timely themes of feminism, motherhood, and religious fanaticism.
Technically, the Church of Dawes at the center of her story isn’t a cult per se—but there’s very little daylight between the fundamentalist Christian group at the center of this novel and the concept of cults as we understand them. Yet, what makes Wisdom’s book so compelling is the deft way it explores this unique setting and characters without judging them or mocking their circumstances.
But left unchecked and unchallenged, that kind of thing can really get out of control—again, if you truly believe you are witnessing miracles, then why wouldn’t you go all in? If you watch a man heal someone, you might listen to his prophecy, and when you remember that you watched him perform a miracle, you might be more inclined to believe that prophecy. Then if you’ve put your trust into that prophecy, you might as well admit that his teachings are important, that they are worth believing.
Rosemary is a former gymnast, so she comes from this very regimented, very demanding world, and for as long as she can remember, her body has not belonged to her: it’s always been offered up to a coach for training or a judge for examination. Then she gets married to Paul and eventually ends up in Dawes, where her body once again does not belong to her.
But I think she also knows that if she has a child, that’s one more thing tying her to Dawes and to Paul, and there is always a part of her that wonders if she can actually leave. A child would complicate that.
It isn’t Paul’s business. She knows that it would be used against her, as a reason she needs to believe in what Paul and Papa Jake are peddling, and she doesn’t want that. Also, breastfeeding is wild and honestly, it does feel kind of miraculous. But it can also feel like you’re being reduced to what you can offer to your baby: you’re not just a person but a mom. It’s a gift and a burden. You’re sustaining life with your body, which is incredible, but it’s also isolating.
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