Tobit Detours - Elisabeth Mehl Greene

Tobit Detours retells the story of Tobit from the Protestant apocrypha and Catholic canon. Featuring thirty-nine pieces from a revolving cast of characters, this version highlights peripheral perspectives beyond the title character and his son Tobias, expanding the story to include such points of view as an archangel, a demon, and the many integral female voices left out of main narrative as well as adding personas that emerge from the margins, such as the Queen of Assyria. Tragedy and comedy intertwine as poem monologues present the story in parts, characters joining in ensemble scenes. Modern references as well as biblical and literary intertextual connections flavor the poems, blending influences such as Nahum, Byron, and Ani DiFranco with the ancient text.  

Tobit Detours centers on journeys and distances as Tobit sends his son Tobias to retrieve funds in a faraway land, where he meets Sarah, who ultimately travels far from her family to join her new husband's household. Practical separations of the characters as well as metaphorical distances between what is hoped for and actual circumstances all connect to our present experiences of a pandemic-burdened existence, our paths detouring into unknown dangers and providence.