THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2024 WINNER OF THE
BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE FOR COMIC FICTION 2024 WINNER OF THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST
FIRST NOVEL AWARD WINNER OF THE PREMIO GREGOR VON REZZORI SHORTLISTED FOR THE NERO AWARD FOR
DEBUT FICTION 2024 SHORTLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE SHORTLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS
PRIZE SHORTLISTED FOR THE JOHN MCGAHERN PRIZE SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS BOOK OF
THE YEAR 2025 (DEBUT FICTION) A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK AT BEDTIME A BBC2 BETWEEN THE COVERS PICK
PICKED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN THE INDEPENDENT THE IRISH TIMES THE FINANCIAL
TIMES AND THE TLS 'One of the most original and brilliant debuts in years' Irish Times
'Bold and totally unexpected ... I was hooked from the first page' Douglas Stuart author of
Shuggie Bain 'Brilliant ... Hilarious moving and profound' R. F. Kuang author of
Yellowface *** Ancient Sicily. Enter GELON: visionary dreamer theatre lover. Enter LAMPO:
lovesick jobless in need of a distraction. Imprisoned in the quarries of Syracuse
thousands of defeated Athenians hang on by the thinnest of threads. They're fading in the
baking heat but not everything is lost: they can still recite lines from Greek tragedy when
tempted by Lampo and Gelon with goatskins of wine and scraps of food. And so an idea is born.
Because after all you can hate the invaders but still love their poetry. It's audacious. It
might even be dangerous. But like all the best things in life - love friendship art itself -
it will reveal the very worst and the very best of what humans are capable of. What could
possibly go wrong? *** 'Fierce funny fast-paced ... Brings the ancient world roaring to
life' Joanna Quinn author of The Whalebone Theatre 'Love war poetry reckless ambition
terrible failure and glorious triumph ... A delicious treat of a read. I loved it' Jon
McGregor author of Lean Fall Stand Sunday Times bestseller August 2024
