In the midst of the Peloponnesian War, more than 7000 Athenian prisoners of war are left to rot in Syracuse’s quarries – except a select few whom unemployed Syracusan potters Lampo and Gelon decide will be perfect to mount a pair of plays by the great tragic playwright Euripides.
You might have to reread that premise. It’s a pretty whacky one, though some mild trawling of Wikipedia later revealed to me that allegedly some Athenian prisoners in Sicily did buy their freedom by reciting Euripides – though I’m sure none participated in a play quite like this.
This is a strange, simultaneously humorous and tragic book in which the characters live in 5th century BC Syracuse but talk like Irish fellas down at the local pub, and somehow it works. Under this absurdist skin lurks a pretty profound story about the universality of art and of life, about how people are more or less the same no matter when or where you go. And be warned, do not be fooled by the lighthearted approach to the story. Euripedes was a tragedian, after all.
I did think the pacing was a bit uneven though, and I would have liked to have gotten to know more of the Athenian actors, who for the most part are depicted as a troupe beyond a couple of the characters. Maybe it’s because Lampo is recounting his tale across a long expanse of time, but many of the supporting characters fade into a few sketchy details. I am also not sure how I feel about how Lampo’s story ended, but then I probably should have expected it. The Fates play tricks upon us all.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.