Book Review: Lilith

Lilith by Nikki Marmery. Crooked Lane Books, Alcove Press, 2023.

Lilith by Nikki Marmery as seen on StoryGraph (because I only read an ebook galley)

Thank you, Crooked Lane Books and LibraryThing, for this ebook galley.

When I was about to begin reading this book, I thought with dread that it might be from a patriarchal monotheistic perspective. But fortunately, Lilith brings up the Mother Goddess early in the book.

Yay, this book uses “The Holy Mother” and the name of a Hebrew goddess, “Asherah” (and eventually other goddess names). I forget where I’ve come across Asherah before.

I like that this book shows them as I picture them: the psycho male deity, the power-tripping angels who are thugs. Fuck you, Sansenoy, and the wings you flew on!

I also like that it turns out there are lots of other people, not just two — this contradicts the myth. And all these different people have different deities, proving Yahweh is a liar in addition to a manipulative control freak. Meanwhile, Lilith flies over Adam and sees that he’s still in that garden, believing there are only two people when there are many. This is wonderful — Christofascists will hate this book!

I love how this novel exposes the utter absurdity of patriarchal monotheism.

The wicked fun irreverence reminds me of Margaret Atwood. So does the depressing and infuriating patriarchal crap.

I share Lilith’s delight when she discovers Delphi and a bit later when she finds a culture that makes Goddess sculptures like those she made long ago and that worship Asherah, no less.

This novel powerfully represents the rejecting and forgetting of the Mother Goddess in the transition to patriarchy — the ultimate evil. I read many Goddess spirituality books in the 1990s, the same decade in which I memorized some Goddess chants.

Okay, I was disappointed when Lilith got pregnant and gave birth. And I wanted her to be queer. She could be pansexual or something.

I wrote many more notes while reading this book, but this review has enough spoilers already.

Hmm, wonder how many people are going to get snake tattoos after reading this book…..

READ NEXT: