The House of Atreus is cursed. A bloodline tainted by a generational cycle of violence and vengeance. This is the story of three women, their fates inextricably tied to this curse, and the fickle nature of men and gods.
Clytemnestra
The sister of Helen, wife of Agamemnon – her hopes of averting the curse are dashed when her sister is taken to Troy by the feckless Paris. Her husband raises a great army against them, and determines to win, whatever the cost.
Cassandra
Princess of Troy, and cursed by Apollo to see the future but never to be believed when she speaks of it. She is powerless in her knowledge that the city will fall.
Elektra
The youngest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, Elektra is horrified by the bloodletting of her kin. But, can she escape the curse, or is her own destiny also bound by violence?
Review: If I thought Ariadne, Jennifer Saint’s debut novel, was tragic, this book really hits a whole other level. It was difficult to see these women trying to fix the mistakes of men and yet fall into the same traps as them, their determination yet inability to escape the curse of the House of Atreus and the cycles of violence.
I was captivated by the questions of morality, revenge and the control you can have over your own life that were central to the story and loved how, again, Saint has turned a well-known narrative and turned it on its head. Whilst stories of the Battle of Troy so often focus on the men, or on Helen, I loved reading about its impact on the three women who are left to deal with the fallout.
Continue reading “Elektra – Jennifer Saint”
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