May is the month dedicated to Our Lady, the Virgin Mary. As a Catholic, there is no woman more important to me than her. We venerate her for saying “yes” to the most difficult of callings – to become the Theotokos.

Recently, I had the opportunity to connect with writer Ana Brigida Gomez, a Dominican American mother who was raised Catholic, stepped away from the faith at 12, and now credits the Virgin Mother for guiding her back to the Church in adulthood. After researching Marian perspectives across Coptic, Orthodox, and Catholic traditions, she chose for her first work in English to write a fictional Catholic reimagining of Mary’s life spanning decades. She very generously offered me a digital ARC copy of her new book to read on my Kindle: Mary: Maiden, Mother, Matriarch.

There are some creative details that touch on long-debated questions among biblical scholars, such as whether St. Joseph had children from a previous marriage. Personally, I lean toward the view that if Jesus had step-siblings, they would likely have appeared more clearly in the Gospel narratives alongside other family figures like Joseph, Anne, Elizabeth, and John the Baptist. That said, within the context of a fictional retelling, these imagined step-siblings add an interesting layer to the story and help enrich the world Gomez builds.

One creative choice I especially appreciated was the origin story Gomez crafted for Mary Magdalene. I won’t spoil it here, but it was a fascinating and thoughtful way to weave her more deeply into the narrative.

Overall, this is a short but engaging book filled with vivid, imaginative detail that helps fill in the emotional and human spaces Scripture leaves open. While much of it is necessarily speculative, it ultimately serves as a kind of artistic devotion – similar to the many visual and literary portrayals of Mary throughout history. Gomez begins with a simple but profound question: what would it have felt like for Mary to raise Jesus? – and she answers it in a way that feels both intimate and reverent.

I’m not quite sure when the book will be officially released, but I’ll update this post with a link when it becomes available. This is definitely worth picking up for anyone interested in reflecting more deeply on the life of the Holy Mother. Marian devotion is a beautiful thing, and easily one of the most meaningful aspects of the faith!