Publisher – Absinthe Books

Published – Out Now

Price – £18 hardback £2.99 ebook (via publisher website - https://www.pspublishing.co.uk/pomegranates-ebook-by-priya-sharma-5934-p.asp)

Pomegranates is a dystopian tale, where climate change is an all-too-real backdrop to the events of the novella. Persephone is in the Underworld, relating her family’s history to a human who’s found his way there. As events unfold, and we see the horror her anger has unleashed on the world, we’re drawn deeper and deeper into the heart of this amazing story. The author has drawn a vivid picture of the world’s decay set against the backdrop of the repercussions of a dysfunctional family. And what a family it is―the gods themselves, bringing destruction on us all.

I don’t mind a good re-telling of a story. If a writer can find a new angle on a classic tale great but I’m also slightly more interested well what happened next? Was it really happy ever after? Peace never broke again? Happily, the excellent novella Pomegranates by Priya Sharma manages to deliver both. A Greek legend gets explored, expanded, subverted and then applied to our own near future – will there be hope or a Greek tragedy? What there will be is sublime storytelling.

The earth is experiencing a deadly winter slowly leading to our destruction. Dr Ursa (who prefers to be called Bear) is building a seed vault to save the world for the future. A strange disturbed woman has been found wandering the streets seeking her lost daughter and she has told her doctors that she is known as Demeter. In the Underworld the God Hades is dying thanks to a lack of belief and Persephone plans her revenge on the human race.

This is a stunning read that takes the myth of Demeter, Hades and Persephone and builds both a surprising and refreshing new tale. Sharma weaves the storylines into a complex narrative playing with time and myth. The Greek gods get re-imagined as a wealthy and vile power crazed family that abuse and hurt Demeter. Persephone is not a simple girl but a darker more complex character who wants revenge for those she blamed for taking Hades away from her and then we also get Bear an aloof intelligent woman who wants to save the world but finds herself running away from encroaching ice and stepping into the Underworld

What makes this tale work is the storytelling. Sharma uses the familiar myths and plays with them. The image of Cerberus the dog of hell being playful is but one surprise; but we get to experience the Underworld’s eeriness; see our own world turned into endless winter and thanks to Persephone’s the souls of the dead are trapped in their bodies (to spinechilling effect) and throughout we get a little Greek chorus of voices talking about the power of pomegranates which of course have a key part to play in the original myth. The interesting question posed is what really drives Persephone? As Bear and Persephone plus Demeter tell their own stories we see the story’s connections come together (that the well known myth may not be completely honest) and then the big question is what will happen next. The epic setting of the world’s potential ending makes it all achieve the feeling of a modern myth itself and one where the god themselves may not have any power to stop the apocalypse.

This can be a tale of despair, the end of the world, or a tale love and hope and can be read as all of the above. It is engrossing, funny, filled with haunting images and a reminder the epic myths were not kind and also our own future is not yet fixed. It is spellbinding reading and well worth your time!