THE blurb for Fiona Whyte’s vivid narrative of the intersection of faith, war, and politics in seventh-century Northumbria teases readers familiar with this period. She introduces her central character as seven-year-old Wilfrid, born into a noble warrior family close to the king, whose life is turned upside down when he is given away to the monks of Lindisfarne. Yet this child is not the famously disputatious Wilfrid, who had in his youth spent time at Lindisfarne, spoke for the Roman side in the debate at Whitby in 664, and, as Bishop of York, came into conflict with King Ecgfrith and his wife, Iurminburg.
Instead, Whyte retells the life of Cuthbert of Lindisfarne through the eyes of the Wilfrid whom she has imagined: a reluctant, demon-tormented child, whose monastic upbringing is coloured by political turmoil, war with the Picts, religious disputes in the aftermath of Whitby, and the emotional intensity of Ecgfrith and Iurminburg’s childless marriage.
Whyte draws her Wilfrid’s journey of self-discovery effectively, locating many important scenes in the scriptorium at Lindisfarne, and successfully creating a sympathetic, rounded character. The psalms (quoted uncompromisingly from the Latin Vulgate) punctuate the story, playing an increasing part in Wilfrid’s spiritual and emotional development.
Rooted in the surviving historical and hagiographical sources, Whyte’s account does not suppress the brutal reality of Ecgfrith’s reign, while offering new insights into the motivations of the key characters. Yet, fundamentally, this is a narrative about the transcending of trauma and guilt, which speaks directly to contemporary preoccupations. I enjoyed it enormously, and recommend it wholeheartedly both to those who already know about the events that it describes, and to those whose knowledge of the age of Cuthbert does not extend much beyond an acquaintance with the Venerable Bede, the treasures in Durham Cathedral, and the Lindisfarne Gospels.
The Very Revd Sarah Foot is the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford.
Let These Things be Written
Fiona Whyte
Eye Books £9.99
(978-1-78563-336-2)
Church Times Bookshop £8.99