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A review by jess_esa
An Arrow's Flight by Mark Merlis
slow-paced
4.5
Philoctetes π
It's such a gorgeous and melancholy book, and it masterfully blends Greek tragedy and mythology with seventies gay culture in maybe the most interesting way I've ever seen.
I love when a retelling can stand on its own and make something new and beautiful that doesn't rely on someone knowing the original texts β though, knowing them does make you appreciate Merlis's genius. I particularly loved his interpretations of Skyros, Lemnos, and Troy and the characters' complexity as they grapple with destiny, sexuality, and legacy, particularly in Pyrrhus's case.
Like any book touching on the AIDS crisis, whether allegorically or literally, it's going to leave you pretty haunted after, but I would still highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get lost in a Greek and highly original gay story.
It's such a gorgeous and melancholy book, and it masterfully blends Greek tragedy and mythology with seventies gay culture in maybe the most interesting way I've ever seen.
I love when a retelling can stand on its own and make something new and beautiful that doesn't rely on someone knowing the original texts β though, knowing them does make you appreciate Merlis's genius. I particularly loved his interpretations of Skyros, Lemnos, and Troy and the characters' complexity as they grapple with destiny, sexuality, and legacy, particularly in Pyrrhus's case.
Like any book touching on the AIDS crisis, whether allegorically or literally, it's going to leave you pretty haunted after, but I would still highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get lost in a Greek and highly original gay story.