Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. I have some exciting life changes coming up soon. I also have a never-ending TBR pile to finish so that is my fault. Before I begin this review, I encourage you to read my other reviews of Natalie Haynes’ books. She has quickly become one of my favorites in the Greek myth – retelling genre. With that being said, let’s talk about The Children of Jocasta.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Self-Harm and Suicide, Disturbing Imagery, Death of a Child/Stillbirth

When Jocasta was fifteen, her parents forced her to marry the king of Thebes. She spent years praying that she might outlive her largely absent husband. When a handsome young man named Oedipus appears at her palace with news of her husband’s death, Jocasta is relieved. She, however, realizes she has a much greater challenge to face. Fifteen years later, Jocasta’s youngest daughter Ismene is nearly killed in the palace. She thought that she had finally found peace after her parents’ deaths, but now she must deal with a conspiracy against her family. Despite decades apart, mother and daughter must face the inevitable tragic fall of the house of Oedipus.

Natalie Haynes continues to impress me with her clever re-telling of myths that most people know by heart at this point. While she doesn’t entirely dismiss the classic tragedy of Oedipus, she puts a twist on it that has more logic but is nonetheless a sad story of a family torn apart by rumors. Haynes does not just take on Oedipus’ story, but Antigone’s as well. These two stories told from different perspectives provide a unique and engaging experience. While the novel embraces the classic tropes that surround Greek tragedies, it offers just a bit of hope that most of the stories sorely lack. Natalie Haynes has delivered yet another compelling narrative and I cannot recommend her novels enough to anyone interested in Greek mythology.