We Should Not Be Afraid of the Sky
In a villa overlooking a small Portuguese village of lemon farmers, a Roman commandant’s wife goes into labor while he is away and gives birth to nine identical baby girls. Unbeknownst to the commandant, the babies are secreted among the women of the village. Some grow up. Some do not. One leaves. But all know they are undoubtedly sisters. When the commandant learns the truth, he brings the remaining girls to live in the comfort—and expectations—of the villa, far from their Portuguese families, their poverty, and the freedom of the lemon orchards. Although identical on the outside, the sisters grow apart on the inside, as they gain new skills, test the boundaries of their new lives, and question the new religion whispered between the commandant’s slaves. The day their father brings home yellow wool for wedding veils, those differences come to the surface, as each girl must decide who she is and what future she wants.
We Should Not Be Afraid of the Sky is both historical and fantastical, braiding the stories of five martyred women into one novel. With poetic prose and unconventional structure, Emma Hooper imagines the lives of five early Christian saints through the Portuguese legend of the Nonuplet sisters, martyred for refusing to marry. Each of the sisters narrates, allowing the reader to see her character as distinct from her sisters. Hooper’s writing is unique, bringing the heat of Portugal, the scent and taste of the lemon orchards, and the visceral closeness of the sisters to the page with spare language, abbreviated sentences, and scant punctuation. Though set in the second century, Hooper writes with an immediacy that may appeal to readers, using familiar, modern language and focusing on the timelessness of adolescent experiences. A thoughtful, unhurried read.
