Bite-sized book reviews
Bite-sized book reviews
Book Club
Where do I even start? I began this book liking it but feeling a bit confused, then absolutely loved the second half, and now that I am finished I cannot stop thinking about it.
Set in Syracuse during the Peloponnesian War, the story is told in a distinctly Irish voice. It’s like Derry Girls meets Homer, a mashup I didn’t know we needed. Two Syracusans decide to stage a play by Euripides using prisoners of war. We follow Lampo, our anti-hero, who is trying to figure out life and is mostly content to trail along with his theater-obsessed friend Gelon and whatever scheme he has cooked up next.
At first, I was unsure why the book was written in an Irish voice, but wow, it works. I listened to the audiobook, which is read by the author, and it is a brilliant performance. Lennon has spoken about why he chose this voice here (the short answer being: why not?), and after finishing the book, I cannot imagine it any other way.
The ending is deeply human and quietly tragic. It stayed with me long after I finished. This book paired beautifully with the rest of my Greek mythology and history theme this year, including The Odyssey, Circe, and The Song of Achilles.
It is a little wacky, the plot, the setting, and the voice, but somehow all of it works together wonderfully. I absolutely loved it.