Helen of Sparta by Amalia Carosella

review

Helen of Sparta is a refreshingly new twist on the story of Helen where we meet a woman determined to escape the fate that has been set out before her by a father who has little love for her. Helen is usually portrayed as a victim so it makes a nice change to see her fighting for her destiny and this sees her escaping from Sparta with Theseus. In the original myth, Theseus and his best friend, Pirithous, both demi-gods, vow to marry a daughter of Zeus, and Theseus sets his sights on Helen, abducting her until she is old enough to marry him. Theseus places Helen in the care of his mother, while he keeps his part of the bargain to help Pirithous enter the Underworld where he plans to abduct Persephone to make her his wife. While Theseus is trapped in the Underworld, Helen’s brothers attack Athens, rescuing their sister and returning her to Sparta where she eventually marries Menelaus.

In Helen of Sparta, events follow a slightly different path as Helen is the one who instigates the flight from Sparta and proves to be a feisty and headstrong young woman rather than the demure character from the myths. The story is as firmly anchored in Greek history as is possible but the mythological elements are not ignored and the will of the gods is very evident throughout. I’m so glad the author chose not to strip away the gods to ground this tale in reality because I love Greek mythology and the inclusion makes this a far richer reading experience for me.

The novel has a dual narration with Helen’s being in the first person and that of Theseus being in the third person which really works since it brings an immediacy to Helen’s story while also allowing us to look into Helen’s world from the outside in. Theseus does not disappoint as a hero and you really get the sense of safety Helen feels while in his presence, so much so I wouldn’t mind being abducted by him myself! As the son of a god, Theseus is larger than life, a loving man well respected by his people, yet, he is also vulnerable as he has endured a lot of heartache and fears now that he has found some measure of happiness with Helen, it will all fall apart again. Theseus seems to a have blind loyalty towards the gods, spending most of his time appeasing them with gifts and sacrifices, however they are not very deserving of his devotions.

Helen and Theseus have great chemistry as a couple and I found myself rooting for them, despite the inevitable sense of foreboding and when the gods exact their terrible price, it is as heartbreaking as any Greek tragedy should be. The love scenes between them are very sensual with the focus being on love rather than lust which is just as well because once their relationship is consummated, they spend a lot of time between the sheets. Did I mention Theseus is hot?

The only misstep for me was the idea to have Helen pretend to be an Egyptian princess and even go to the extent of having the pharaoh’s blessing. Why would the pharaoh care about Helen’s fate? Well, this is neatly explained away by having the Egyptian gods worried about the consequences of Helen’s future and the portents of a great war.

The book has quite an abrupt ending as Helen is taken back to Sparta and this will annoy casual readers, however if you are familiar with how things played out for Helen, you will be aware of where her journey goes from here and nothing more needs to be said. Still, I think it would be a shame for it to end here because I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel.