Susan_T1

MAGNIFICENT! The Son of Nobody, by Yann Martel, is a brilliant retelling of the Trojan war from the point of view of a common foot soldier fighting with the Greeks against the Trojans. Two tragic tales are told in parallel, literally one on top of the other. One story is the song of Psoas of Midea, son of nobody. The second narrative is that of Harlow Donne, a Classics scholar from Canada, who authors his own tragic tale in the footnotes of his translation of Psoas’ epic poem. This beautifully crafted novel captures what is universal to the human experience, that across time and regardless of status, love, longing and loss are the same for everyone, and that the life story of one low-born is no less of a heroic journey than that of one high-born.

Enough supplemental information on Greek mythology and Homer’s Iliad is included in the footnotes for the reader to enjoy the story. However, if your memory of them is a little dusty, a quick refresher will certainly enhance your enjoyment. Read slowly and reflectively. This is a novel that should be savored.

Thanks to BookBrowse and W.W. Norton & Company for the advance reading copy of this book.