Book Review - Potiphar’s Wife

Are you a fan of the bad girls of the Bible? Do you like to see how God’s purpose is fulfilled even though evil seems to triumph? Do you like to think about what might have gone on behind the scenes of the events you read about in your Bible? 

Mesu Andrews pries open the tale of Potiphar’s wife in her new release and makes us wonder if she was genuinely horrid or if her circumstances shaped the woman we blame for Joseph’s time in prison. Potiphar’s Wife centers around Princess Zuleika, a strong and capable young woman whose father is king of the Zakros district of Crete and whose beloved husband will become king. Her world is turned upside down by a tragedy which rips her husband and mother away at the same time as it cripples the districts of the island she loves. The only hope to save her home is for her father to offer his most beloved possession in marriage to Egypt’s king. To fulfill her duty to her homeland, Zully is also ripped from her homeland and carried to Egypt before she the chance to mourn her losses.

Adding insult to injury, the beautiful and talented princess is handed off to Pharoah Khyan’s second in command. Potiphar is a crusty old soldier with no desire for a wife, and yet that is exactly what Zully must become. Torn from her family, passed over by the Egyptian king, and scorned by the noblewomen of her new homeland, Zully finds herself spiraling into the depression and madness she fought to resist. If not for a small group of slaves who are especially kind to her, there’s no telling how far she might fall.

This is the woman who flings herself at Joseph in desperation and seizes upon the opportunity to shame him. Yet this story is actually filled with strong women who work together. Ahira is one of those women, a Hebrew slave who is maid to Zully, and a woman both in need of healing and whose care heals others. Ahira’s devotion to her mistress is an opportunity for both to grow through their circumstances. Her care for Joseph is a ministry to him and to those who witness it throughout his dark days.

Potiphar’s Wife by Mesu Andrews is absolutely a must-read and is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online.

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Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.