It’s one of the most ancient stories of the Western world: the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar. It’s from Genesis. It includes the story of the near-sacrifice of Abraham and Sarah’s son Isaac. It includes the story of Abraham’s other son Ishmael, whose mother is not Sarah but Hagar, whom Sarah gives to Abraham because she is apparently infertile. It includes the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. These connected, mystical tales became the foundation of several major modern-day religions.

This historical story is now available in a fictional retelling from Sarah’s point of view. The Bible focuses almost entirely on the male perspective. Biblical stories told from a female perspective can offer new perspectives on these ancient stories. I’m enthusiastic to share with you the 2024 historical novel The Scent of Bright Light, by Jean K. Dudek.

Dudek does a wonderful job of being faithful to Genesis while expanding on gaps in the story. Reading this novel gave me a broader understanding of what it might have been like to live in biblical times. I also enjoyed the writing style, which comes across as neither stuffily archaic, nor hopelessly modern. Sarah speaks in the voice of a real woman who lived a long, long time ago and was, according to Genesis, experiencing some pretty incredible things.

Best of all, Sarah has a sense of humor. Listen to this:

“And so, I was taken into Pharaoh’s house and started my years-long captivity in his harem. Yes, it was the harem. Did you think I was there to bake bread?”

I met Jean at the 2024 Washington Writers Conference, and we became friends. She is fabulously smart, an excellent public speaker, and a kindhearted person. Please enjoy this interview in which I ask Jean questions about The Scent of Bright Light, and she provides insights into her wonderful work of historical fiction, as well as her life as an author and scholar.

In retelling and expanding the biblical story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar, what were you hoping to convey or draw attention to?

First, let me summarize that story, since a lot of people aren’t familiar with it. The basic tension in the biblical story is that God has promised Abraham descendants and land for his descendants. But his wife, Sarah, is infertile. So, how is that going to happen?

In retelling this story, the primary thing for me was Sarah’s voice. I originally imagined it as a one-woman theater piece, essentially a monologue. That was a bad idea. So, I turned it into a novel with Sarah as a first-person narrator. Most stories in the Bible are told from a man’s point of view or focus on men’s concerns. For thousands of years, women have been wondering if Sarah knew Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac, or what she thought of Abraham passing her off as his sister and her being taken into Pharoah’s harem. I made up answers to those questions, and let Sarah tell the story.

While writing, I realized how little the characters knew about God. That’s another issue I wanted to bring out in this book. It’s easy for us to think of Abraham as a close friend of God who spoke with God; therefore, he must have known so much about God. But in the biblical text, God doesn’t give him much information, and all these characters grew up in a polytheistic world. Throughout the book, they are trying to figure out who this God is.

How did you handle the tension between being faithful to the original text(s) in Genesis, versus adding your own plot points and details?

My intention was not to write anything that directly contradicts the biblical text. I don’t think I did, although I likely contradict some people’s assumptions about the relationship between Sarah and Hagar. I added a lot of material to fill out the story. That is not a new concept; it’s an ancient Jewish practice called midrash. You can think of midrash as filling in the spaces in the margins, between the lines and between the words of the biblical text.

My book is historical fiction; it’s not exegesis. If someone were to ask, “Where’s that in the text?” (which is a fair question to ask about exegesis), my answer would be, “It’s not. I made it up. That’s what fiction writers do; we make things up.”

Before publication, did you worry about how the book would be received among different faith communities, nonbelievers, and so on? How has the book been received?

No, I wouldn’t say I worried, but I was aware of different reactions from different groups while I was writing. I noticed that my Jewish friends generally were much more familiar with the story than my Catholic friends. I quickly learned that when telling someone my book was a retelling of the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar, I should pause and ask if they knew who I was talking about, then tailor my explanation accordingly. I think some people aren’t aware that the 2020 Abraham Accords are named after that Abraham, and why.

So, I aimed to write the story in a way that would make sense and be interesting to people who did not know the biblical story. Based on what people have told me personally, and on Amazon customer reviews, it looks like I accomplished that. Meanwhile, I have not received complaints about historical inaccuracies from scholars who specialize in this material. There are lots of “Easter eggs” for people who know the Bible well.

I don’t have much feedback on how Muslims have received it. My book follows the story as given in the book of Genesis; I did not try to harmonize it with Islam’s version of the story. On the other hand, I did not think I should ignore the fact that Islam has a claim on Abraham, too. For example, I mention Abraham and Ishmael building the Kaaba. Also, I lift up Hagar as a smart, capable, beautiful woman, specially blessed by God, in a way that she is not typically seen in Jewish and Christian interpretations of the story.

I had thought that this novel might not appeal to men—the two main characters are women, and it focusses on their relationship. I’ve been pleasantly surprised that I was wrong about that. One male acquaintance who is not interested in religion, and who I think was only reading the book as a favor to me, enjoyed it, even though he had expected it to be “some musty old thing, but it wasn’t!” And he wrote a thoughtful, complimentary review on Amazon.

I understand that you have an advanced degree from a seminary, as well as a law degree. How did these two educational experiences inform the writing of this book?

I have a Master of Theological Studies degree, with a concentration in Biblical Studies. I’ve been working as a Teaching Assistant in the Introduction to Old Testament and New Testament courses at Wesley Theological Seminary for more than a decade. So, you might say that I’ve been marinating in this material for a long time. I came up with the basic idea while daydreaming instead of doing the reading for a seminary class. I imagined Sarah’s voice telling her story about being trapped in Pharoah’s harem. I wondered if something happened to her there that affected her fertility. I just kept going from there. My educational background provided information about traditional interpretations of the text, about the historical setting of that part of the Bible, and obscure tidbits I could work into the story. I did have to do additional research about the Egyptian culture of the time.

As for the law school degree: it was not so much of an influence, apart from general skills like logical thinking and goal-setting. One of my law school professors defined a professional as someone who can do their best work even when they don’t feel like it. That may be useful advice for anyone, no matter what their line of work. Some writers say they can only write when they feel inspired. That’s not a good way to get much work done. I’ve heard of a writer who, in response to that notion, says he makes sure he feels inspired every morning at 9:00.

What writing projects are you working on now? Can we look forward to another book from you in the future?

They always say you should write what you know. In my case, that would indicate a book about doing laundry. But seriously, a flash fiction piece I wrote was accepted for publication in an anthology about Maryland. The time line for editing and publication is out of my hands, so I just have to let that take its course.

I am starting to work on another novel, again historical fiction based on a biblical story. After Mary, the mother of Jesus, was told by an angel that she will conceive a child (you’ve seen paintings depicting this, right?), Mary went to visit her relative, Elizabeth, who was also pregnant with a long-awaited miracle baby. As I see it, Mary is in a lot of trouble—she is pregnant when she is not supposed to be, in a society that did not take kindly to that sort of thing. The political setting, which I think is often overlooked, is that the Romans are occupying and impoverishing their land. I hope to develop Mary’s point of view as she deals with the consequences of what she has agreed to do, and her spiritual growth under the guidance of Elizabeth, a wise older woman. So, once again, it’s a story exploring the thoughts of, and relationship between, two female characters.

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Learn more about Jean K. Dudek: jeandudek.com