ARTS & CULTURE
THE MAIDENS BY ALEX MICHAELIDES
Any English graduates among Edition readers who both studied and stayed in Cambridge will be familiar with the Tragedy paper: a compulsory part of studying literature at our city’s oldest university. The idea behind the course is that tragedy, and how we respond to it – whether told by ancient Greeks, Shakespeare, the residents of Albert Square or the Bee Gees – is a universal, timeless human experience. The Maidens picks up this baton and runs with it, deep into the courts of a fictional Cambridge college and the heady, academic world of classics, philosophy, history and literature. If you’re already reminded of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History , you’re not wrong – and that could never be a bad thing. Author Alex Michaelides has already proven his star credentials with smash hit The Silent Patient , and his years studying at Trinity College were clearly useful research for his latest novel. The Maidens captures that intoxicating allure of society membership – being selected and held in high regard by an expert – and illustrates perfectly how that trust can be abused so easily. The ancient worlds are balanced out by a contemporary narrator, group therapist Mariana Andros – alumnus of St Christopher’s – who wrestles her demons while trying to help others with their own. At its core, The Maidens is a thrilling and timeless tale of grief, love, lust, elitism and exclusion – all veiled in the saffron, gossamer silks of ancient Greek tragedy.
BY VICTOR JESTIN Heatwave
Anyone who spent childhood summers in Eurocamps will immediately recognise the setting for this short novel, and the heady appeal of those temporary communities that spring up on continental campsites. At these holiday destinations, all types of people mix – revelling in the heat and relaxed attitudes, with hedonism the only item on the agenda. Theoretically, this mood is perfect for a teenager like Leonard, the narrator. But when he stumbles upon another teen holidaymaker named Oscar, drunkenly hanging from a swing set with ropes coiled around his neck, Leonard’s inaction condemns him to a weekend (and lifetime) of psychological torment. Burying Oscar’s body does not make the problem go away, and we follow Leonard around the blisteringly hot campsite, internally tearing himself to shreds while externally keeping up life as a ‘normal’ teen so as not to arouse suspicion. Tense, claustrophobic and angst-ridden, the book is a real white-knuckle ride, and a fantastic reminder of how exhausting and emotional teenage life can be – even when not passively committing murder. TENSE, CLAUSTROPHOBIC AND ANGST-RIDDEN, THE BOOK IS A REAL WHITE-KNUCKLE RIDE
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK AUGUST 2021 27
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