"A magical and hugely captivating journey - filled with such beauty wonder and surprise. A
simply marvellous read hugely recommended" - Stephen Fry A real-life journey through the
fantastical world of The Odyssey It started with a boy of course. Seeking solace from the
pain of heartbreak and her father's illness Laura Coffey embarks on what was meant to be a
simple holiday. But her newfound fascination with ancient Greek myths transforms her trip into
a six-month odyssey around tiny archipelagos and mystical Mediterranean islands thought to be
the setting of Odysseus's epic journey. As she chases one of the most conflicted flawed and
yet beloved heroes through his fantastical sea-kingdoms looking for the places where geography
and mythology collide she discovers the wild beauty of the islands and the redemptive powers
of travel and nature cold-water swimming long hikes up mountains and luminous star-lit
skies. But her quest to find happiness safety and the true meaning of home is overshadowed by
the deepening illness of her father. Returning as he's dying forced to confront the very
things she was running from Laura reflects on what she has lost how to live between story and
reality and the way we craft our own mythologies. Slipping between the mythical realm and the
real world she finds enchantment and healing in the magic of both. "If you love memoir and
Greek mythology this is a delight. A spellbinding book about growing up grieving and the
gods." - Clare Pollard author of Delphi
