This reads to me like a reception of the Proserpina myth - but where things are given a twist so that the female narrator is the Pluto figure. It's subtly done but the clues are there from the title 'Antiquity', the Greek island setting, the chapters with their mythic headings (Atlas, Echo etc.), the prevalence of pomegranates and the way the narrator disrupts the mother-daughter relationship of Helena and Olga.

It's a interesting project that is as much about the narrator giving a shape to her obsession and desires as a realist retelling. But thinking about the mythic precedent adds nuance and complexity: Olga is 15 and at one point the narrator notices her blood-stained sheets - a sort of stand-in for Pluto's rape but this time without the gender dichotomy. It's striking, too, that where the myth as retold in Ovid's [book:Metamorphoses|1715] is as much about the frantic search of Ceres for her daughter, here Helena is a more lax mother, seemingly oblivious to what is happening in her home.

The writing is of that dreamy, hallucinogenic style that doesn't always work for me - I would have liked something more concrete to underpin the sense of the unreal - and makes good use of the landscape of sun, heat, sea and a general sense of loosened boundaries.

The concept of a female predator is always interesting and here it's complicated by us being inside her head so that it can be hard to separate fantasy, memory, desire and reality. Definitely a slippery text with a provocative premise. 3.5 stars rounded down as I needed a little more direction.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review!

3 stars!

This was one heck of a read. I knew what I was getting into and the book isn't explicit in ways that some would think with the context of the story but the narrator has such entitlement, almost, because she's lonely she comes across as an almost spoilt ignored child herself as she is very obsessive over artist turned friend, Helena.

Then, her obsession turns to her 15 year old daughter Olga. The narrator at one point sees that she did nothing wrong when looking back on their relationship and how she was with Olga as, she gave her love and also a story to tell someone who loved her when she's older. Unhinged and a well written character becaude I just couldn't stand her and she didn't see any flaws or wrongdoings on what went on.

Antiquity is a queer Lolita story, following an unnamed narrator in her mid thirties as she becomes obsessed with Olga, aged fifteen the daughter of an older artist named Helena. The story takes place on the Greek Island of Ermoupoli, where the narrator joins Helena.

The devolution of the narrator as she looses herself to her obsession and becomes all consumed by her insecurities. The narrator is self deprecating from the start by as the story moves along her sense of self worth is completely obliterated.

The writing is lovely and there are quotes that I found myself reflecting on. The later of the novel was a hard and uncomfortable read so I do warn you before reading.

"Time wasn't logical. A span of time that felt, back then, in the beginning, like several weeks, was in fact just a few days. A span of time that felt, later, like a few days or even less, only a few brief moments, was in fact unfolding for much longer than that, enormous expanses of time that I greedily swallowed and demanded more of, which I couldn't get enough of, which I didn't want to end, which I wanted to stretch and become forever."

Antiquity has been compared to a female Call Me By Your Name and Lolita, therefore the themes can be divisive so be mindful of that before reading. The behaviour is not condoned or promoted.

Thank you to Johansson, Scribe UK and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. #Antiquity

Antiquity has a nebulous, hazy quality to its narrative. I was expecting something more explicit, and while I was relieved it was not so, the inferred sexual intimacy between the lead character and the 15-year-old object of her desire, Olga, was no less comfortable reading.

The Greek island setting is vividly captured, and I enjoyed the descriptions of the dilapidated houses and gardens.

I found the lead character stunningly lacking in self-awareness. I suppose I expected even fleeting evidence of moral dilemma when pursuing Olga, but there was none. I don't feel I ever truly understood the lead character's motivations - I wondered if she maybe saw Olga as 'the next best thing' to her mother, Helena, who she had previously obsessed over.