What it’s about: From New York Times bestselling author Patti Callahan comes an exquisite novel of Joy Davidman, the woman C.S. Lewis called “my whole world.” When poet and writer Joy Davidman began writing letters to C.S. Lewis—known as Jack—she was looking for spiritual answers, not love. Love, after all, wasn’t holding together her crumbling marriage. Everything about New Yorker Joy seemed ill-matched for an Oxford don and the beloved writer of Narnia, yet their minds bonded over their letters. Embarking on the adventure of her life, Joy traveled from America to England and back again, facing heartbreak and poverty, discovering friendship and faith, and against all odds, finding a love that even the threat of death couldn’t destroy. At once a fascinating historical novel and a glimpse into a writer’s life, Becoming Mrs. Lewis is above all a love story—a love of literature and ideas and a love between a husband and wife that, in the end, was not impossible at all.
What I love about Becoming Mrs. Lewis: When I was 11 years old, my aunt gave me a beautiful box set of The Chronicles of Narnia for Christmas. As I began to read through those seven books, I fell in love with the world of Narnia. Talking animals and mythical creatures. A mighty lion. And children who stumble upon a magical land, and go on adventures when they least expect it. As I got older, I became interested in how C.S. Lewis created the world of Narnia. I wanted to know his story. So when I was around 13 years old, I came across a biography on C.S. Lewis in the local Dollar General. I was so excited when my mom let me get it, that I didn’t even wait till I was in the car to start reading it. I learned about his childhood, how he fought in The Great War. Did you know C.S. Lewis was close friends with J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings? I remember reading through that biography so many times that the cover was worn. But something that I always wanted to know more about was his relationship with Joy Davidman. And that is exactly what Becoming Mrs. Lewis gave me. Her friendship with Jack (C.S. Lewis) was so inspiring to read about. This novel gave so much more depth to who Joy Davidman was, than my biography ever did. When she would ask Lewis about Narnia and other things, it’s like us as readers are learning about C.S. Lewis with Joy. Another one of my favorite things about this book, was how it was in a diary format. That really helps in experiencing everything through Joy Davidman’s eyes. In the author’s note in the back, Callahan talks about all the research she did in order to represent Joy’s story well. If you choose to check out this book, I recommend that you read the author’s note. It is truly fascinating. And the synopsis really describes this novel well when it says that it’s, “a love story—a love of literature and ideas and a love between a husband and wife that, in the end, was not impossible at all.” Come on in to the Cross Reference Library and check out Becoming Mrs. Lewis! You’ll find hope, faith, hardships, and of course JOY.