it's all greek murder mystery to me

I'm so impressed with all the moving parts of this novel. The influence of several Greek myths, mainly the legend of Demeter and Persephone, combined with the poignant and literary setting of Cambridge, really gave this book a distinct atmospheric feel. Listening to it as an audiobook only helped add to this sense of atmosphere, of a campus riddled with death, potential suspects, and reminders of a past the main character, Marianna, won't ever be able to get back. Having read Michaelides' The Silent Patient only recently, I picked up on his preference for melding new storylines with the patterns of classic Greek narrative and the intrigue of a good old fashioned murder mystery. The crossovers to The Silent Patient, which in this literary universe occurs after the events of this book, were so so cool for a knowing reader to pick up on (aka, I thought it was really cool and gasped out loud when I realized Theo Faber was entering onto this book's scene). Like The Silent Patient, this novel's narrator is also a psychotherapist, spurred to pursue the particular profession from her own set of intense daddy issues, among other childhood abuses. I think from what I've seen of this author so far, they're clearly capable of crafting unique and believable characters in settings that enhance their characteristics rather than turn them cliche. So much of what we learn about Marianna becomes so important for the delayed reveals in the story later. The comparison of Tennyson and Marianna's own experience of looking just past the veil to the people they've loved and lost really resonated with me. I didn't think to question Marianna's opinion of her late husband, Sebastian, who tragically drowned in the ocean on a trip Marianna urged them to take for the sake of their marriage, until I realized that we only had her opinion of him to go off of. Since she's clearly biased, how farfetched is it to discover that he was a murderous, disturbed man who manipulated a naive young woman, Zoe, into committing horrendous acts of murder that would not only wreak havoc but ultimately cause a brutal betrayal for Marianna, a wife he clearly didn't truly love? I was truly shocked when this plot twist unfolded, not only because I never suspected Zoe, but because I was very nearly convinced that Edward Fosca, Marianna's prime suspect upon starting her unofficial investigation, was guilty of killing his own students---particularly a set group of young women self-titled The Maidens. Fosca is such an interesting character in his own right, since we find out he was sleeping with these female students of his, but not actively killing them. He really comes off incredibly guilty at times, but perhaps that's just Marianna's clear lack of complete mental stability and desperation for a way to explain the horrific stabbings and have a sense of closure for the loss she's suffering in her own life. I also must sing Fred's praises for a moment---he is just the sweetest, most romantic, clumsiest thing. The way he pursues and cares about Marianna, and actually helps her productively move forward with her investigation, is precious. His belief in premonitions added to the element of the book's atmosphere that felt supernatural, too, what with Marianna's hunch that her prayer to Demeter and Persephone on the island of Naxos may have started all of her misfortune and followed her to Cambridge. I definitely had some points of confusion upon finishing the book, though. I can tell the ending was supposed to be ambiguous for the sake of what I assume will be another book. That's cool, but caused me to say, "What? No, c'mon! There's gotta be another book out already." to myself in the car as the audiobook wrapped up. I think the logistics of how Zoe pulled off the murders are a little cloudy to me, as well as why Sebastian was so motivated to have these murders be orchestrated in the first place. Could it be that Marianna was really too jaded to see any red flags, and we, therefore, as readers don't get to see them either? I'm not sure. The beginning section of each new part was clearly meant to imply we were reading from Fosca's perspetive, but I think it's actually supposed to be interpreted as Sebastian's perspective once we know his true intentions. I also wanted to see Marianna speak to Fosca at least one more time, since I ended up convinced pretty early on of Marianna's theory that Fosca was guilty. I'm very glad there was a plot twist in this regard, though. This is definitely a book I'd reread a year or a few years down the line with the intent of closely reading for details I wouldn't have thought to focus on for a first read. I also need to keep tabs on Michaelides to make sure I'm aware of when his next book comes out.



Some of my favorite quotes from The Maidens:

"That was the horror of it. We all secretly hope that tragedy will only ever happen to other people... sooner or later, it happens to you."

"She sometimes felt she had been cursed, as if by some malevolent goddess in a Greek myth, to lose everyone she ever loved."

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