CULTURE CLUB
CAMBRIDGE EDITION Book Club Expand your literary horizons in 2024 with these captivating reads, from dystopian thrillers to love stories for the modern age
WORDS BY CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS
Glorious Exploits BY FERDIA LENNON An absolutely extraordinary debut novel. Glorious Exploits was written over several years, and the attention to detail shows. The story is set in 412 BC, after the disastrous attempted invasion of Sicily by Athens which sees thousands of captured Athenian soldiers left to die in scorching quarries just outside the city of Syracuse. Local potters and childhood friends Lampo and Gelon become gripped by the idea of using these doomed prisoners to put on a performance of Medea and The Trojan Women , two of the newest tragedies written by already-acclaimed Euripides. These works will be lost if Athens falls, as the world assumes it will at this point – but the imprisoned Athenians have seen these shows and many know the words by heart, reciting lines in exchange for food – so the potters see a chance to create art in the face of chaos and impossible odds. But will anyone come to see this ill-fated production, starring those who until very recently were busy slaughtering Syracusans? Lampo is a sardonic, hugely real narrator who absolutely leaps off the page – his post-rehearsal scenes in the local bar feel so believable, and his confused, hasty decision-making will make you laugh out loud then wince when reality bites. The post-conflict world he inhabits is incredibly brutal and physical, and the gritty, visceral
reality of existing on the edge of these quarries, surrounded by those who’ve lost everything in the recent wars, is not hidden from view. But in the same moment, this book is also strangely beautiful and hopeful. It leaves you wondering about the purpose of art and friendship and love – what it is that truly makes us human regardless of which side we fight for. A painful, yet deeply touching and unforgettable read that will surely win awards. WORTHY WORDS This month’s selection takes readers everywhere from ancient Greece to the perilous landscape of the London dating scene
Will anyone come to see this ill-fated production?
20 JANUARY 2024 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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