'I Am Lilith' - An epic reimagining of the story of Lilith
I rated 'I Am Lilith' three stars out of five - like just over a half-moon rating - but in this case it doesn't mean that I think it's mediocre, that it isn't for me, or that I don't recommend it. On the contrary, I absolutely recommend that everyone, as many people as humanly possible, hear of it, and read it.
For while there are some things in it that annoyed me and made me very uncomfortable - such as the misfortune of hindsight on the reader's part and being frustrated by the main first woman Lilith's foolishness and disregarding of red flags, and the infuriating idea of a handsome, domineering and assertive man mollifying and successfully bringing a strong feminist woman to submission being perpetuated here, not to mention all the SA - 'I Am Lilith' is overall an important feminist book, containing so many universal truths, common sense, and profound and inspiring quotes.
It provides warnings on human errors, repeated throughout history, too.
(Some of my three-star books are like that, actually.)
'I Am Lilith' is not a long novel, but it is epic in scope, scale, themes, details, historical research, and in its reimagining the dawn of the patriarchy, and how it has shaped our civilisation, culture, and society as we know it all still even today.
It is epic in, *ahem*, biblical proportions.
It is like a female-dominated 'The Lord of the Rings'. It is Shakespearean. It is like 'The Women of Troy' by Euripides. It is a representation of a matriarchal/world order collapse. Epic. Tragic.
It is enchanting as well as relevant. Towards its end, it is especially somber, depressing, horrific, and overwhelming, but in a good, beneficial way. It is a cautionary tale. A warning to every human obsessed with dividing and conquering.
Subjugation, oppression, abuse, slavery, jealousy, envy, hatred, revenge, violence, war, and no empathy, compassion and kindness - these lead to the death of civilisation and humanity. We need to realise this.
'I Am Lilith' could help us to understand ourselves and each other, regardless of gender. It could even save us all.
We are all different, yet not that different. We each deserve respect. We are as one - human.
Oh, the negative notes are coming back: 'I Am Lilith' is a little overwritten and meandering, its chapters are too long, and nearly all the adult female characters around Lilith - the priestesses, the matrons, and the councillors - are not well defined and are indistinguishable. I thought and felt that Lilith, Adam, and Lilith's twin brother Sabium - the three key players of humanity's fate and "destiny" (Eve doesn't appear until much later on, and she is ostensibly a pawn and a tool) - had the most solid, three-dimensional characterisation. Well, except maybe for Lilith's little daughter Aea - I'll remember her for a long time.
But you know what? 'I Am Lilith' is still well written, and clearly written from the heart. It has passion and force. Melanie Dufty wanted to tell us something in planning it, typing it up, and putting it out there.
Indeed, it is radical, unconventional, bold, daring, brave, and blasphemous. It is soaring-ly, sorrowfully unique, unlike anything that has been written before; even less so in 2020. No wonder it was independently published, and subsequently marked as a banned book.
Of course I recommend it. And of course I am keeping it on my shelf, despite my own niggling, personal gripes.
'I Am Lilith' - feel the feminine power. And love. It is eye-opening, awe-inspiring, and terribly, brutally heartbreaking.
Lilith knows how the patriarchy came to be. She was there. She tried to stop it. Tried to prevent it. She tried to fight for equality between the sexes; to be a diplomat. She tried to stop man's world from seeping into our reality; from spreading globally - forcefully, violently, bloodily, persistently. She knows all about the curse on our world - the curse of the patriarchy; evil, power-hungry, insecure, fearful, desperate, unrelenting, fragile, broken men's power over everything and everyone.
Lilith knows that true equality - the merging and sharing between the feminine and the masculine, for us to truly become one, to get over ourselves already - to disregard societal concepts of gender - and see each other as equal humans with our own power and rights to simply be human, to be free - it is possible.
Someday.
We just have to let it.
Give equality and peace - of mind, body, heart, and spirit - a chance.
But really, we do need to get over ourselves, and stop obsessing over "superiority" and "inferiority" based entirely on genitalia. On genetics, biology, breeding and sexual reproduction. What nonsense. What a limited scope and views. Toxic, harmful rubbish.
Following this, I have to add that one of the novel's themes is all-encompassing love - and that includes queer love. Same sex love and couples are present. Sadly, I don't think there is anything regarding trans and nonbinary rep, nor asexual rep, and most of the women are also mothers. More flaws of the book.
At least it remembers menstruation.
I love Lilith. The first independent, indomitable woman. The first truly loving and passionate woman. The first feminine power.
No-- every power.
Lilith - the first and most misunderstood, contested, targeted, dehumanised, demonised, flawed, complex, complicated woman.
'I Am Lilith'
We are Lilith.
(Read it and you'll know what I mean. That is all I have to say.)
Final Score: 3/5
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