Euryale

I loved this book. Set in the Ancient Roman Republic, it also harkens back to Ancient Greek myth, bringing a human story to a legendary cursed woman: Euryale, who through no fault of her own, ran afoul of the goddess Athena many centuries earlier. As a consequence, she has to go through life veiled against the eyes of mortals, employing only blind and short-sighted servants. She has offered a handsome reward to any who can answer her question, "What can change stone into living flesh?" Many seek the reward through trickery, but one Chaldean philosopher approaches the question with seriousness. This is also the story of Hispallus, a feckless Roman of prominent family who longs to make a great name for himself but lacks the character for true greatness. He has run afoul of an ex-slave named Daedalus, also through no fault of his own. Daedalus doesn't much care who has truly wronged him. He just wants someone to pay, ostensibly for a elaborate bridge. He's not above blackmail to get what he wants, but Hispallus lacks funds as well as the skills to succeed. In desperation, Hispallus seeks out Euryale, bringing the possibility of exposure and Roman law to her and those who serve her. The story is as much about love and the search for acceptance as it is about revenge and vengeance. Which is the stronger passion? The gods may be implacable in their own search for vengeance, and the hearts of some mortals may be just as implacable, but love and compassion can be found in the most unexpected places. Sometimes love is as implacable as gods, alighting when we don't expect or want it; hanging on past the point of letting go. In a story that seems simple and simply told, but rides on complex currents, Ms. Dalkey explores all these things in a satisfying and character-rich way.

In Ancient Rome, Praetor Scipio Hispallus wants fame more than power, but what little he has of both is threatened by Daedalus the slave he freed. Daedalus intimates to his former owner that he will reveal to all of Rome that Hispallus' estranged wife belongs to the banned sect of Bacchus, god of wine and fertility unless he funds the building of an ostentatious bridge. Hispallus panics as he lacks the money needed to appease Daedalus. An astrologer who is in Hispallus' home to ask a favor tells him of a foreign women Euryale who is offering a fortune to the person who can answer her question: "What can change stone into living flesh"? Hispallus goes to Euryace's home hoping she will fund the bridge, but finds her and her household odd. Her face is totally covered and her hair is bound up so that he cannot see her anything above the neck. Her servants and slaves are blind. She agrees to fund the bridge if she fails to obtain an answer to her question as she is a warm hearted caring person living with a curse from Athena; if people realize what she is, her life will be forfeited. Kara Dalkey writes a fascinating tale of what happens to a woman cursed by a goddess several centuries earlier. EURYALE is a complex compassionate woman unlike the character portrayed in mythology. Readers will admire her courage and root for her to find a man who can see her through the eyes of love. Hispallus is a much simpler protagonist easy to understand as he seeks acclaim but lacks the wit to do so; he affirms the Peter Principle in Ancient Rome. Harriet Klausner