Nestled between two of the most formidable voices of the Old Testament, Ecclesiastes and Isaiah, is one short book which has disturbed clergy and baffled religious scholars for over two thousand years. The Song of Solomon, also called the Song of Songs, is an erotic love poem. So what is it doing there? University professor Reggie Nefeild has devoted his life to unravelling the mystery of this gem of sensuous poetry, only to discover that the answer is not what he expected. And, amid the glittering towers of ancient Babylon, a young Jewish woman, priestess of the goddess Asherah, is confronted with a return to Jerusalem and to a strange solitary god named Yahweh. Painstakingly researched and with Anne Hines’ classic humour, the two story lines call out to each other like the lovers in the Song of Songs, suggesting startling truths about the genesis of the Bible, our concept of God, and of love itself.

Once described as “Canada’s answer to Erma Bombeck,” Anne Hines began her writing career as the humour/lifestyle columnist for Canadian Living magazine and is now a contributing editor at Chatelaine where her humourous articles on everyday life appear regularly. She has published two novels; Fishing Up The Moon (Pedlar Press, 1998) and The Spiral Garden (McArthur & Co, 2005), and a collection of nonfiction humour, A Year In HineSight (McArthur & Co, 2002). Anne is currently working on her third novel, based on the Biblical “Song of Solomon.” She is also enrolled part-time in a Masters of Theology degree program at University of Toronto; her goal being “to graduate while there is still religion.” Anne lives in Toronto with her family.

Anne Hines' profile page