Who remembers the onlookers on the sidelines of big events? Such bystanders as the deposed queen Vashti, the blood-stained murdering grandmother Athaliah, the bluff soldier in King David's army, or the desperately searching mother Phoebe? In Bystanders Valerie Volk has created fifteen absorbing characters on the edges of familiar Biblical events. With psychological insight and compassion, she gives a new perspective on stories we thought we knew. 'Valerie Volk takes us on a different journey of understanding, through the intensely plausible thoughts and words from minor Biblical characters ... This book deserves a place not just for enjoyable reading but also as an aid to better understanding of Scripture.' - Rev. Dr Lynn Arnold, AO 'Reading Bystanders was like attending a reunion of people I used to know when I was a child ... The characters in Volk's collection of stories were present at pivotal times in history and are richly and skilfully evoked.' - Jude Aquilina 'Bystanders takes the reader into the lives of individuals who make fleeting appearances in the Bible, looking on as events swirl around the main characters ... Volk's prose is beautifully written and she exhibits a very clever ability to use a ''''stream of consciousness'''' dialogue to tell a story.' - Kym Boxall, SM 'The appendix contains a ready-made source of stimulating questions that venture into many of today's issues such as domestic violence, family relationships, roles and rights of women, greed and exploitation.' - Stephen Rudolph