Description
THE TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ‘Unforgettable’ Mary Beard ‘They cut her hair before they dragged her to the place of sacrifice. Her mouth was gagged to stop her cursing her father her cowardly two-tongued father. Nonetheless they heard her muffled screams.’ On the day of his daughter’s wedding Agamemnon orders her sacrifice. His daughter is led to her death and Agamemnon leads his army into battle where he is rewarded with glorious victory. Three years later he returns home and his murderous action has set the entire family – mother brother sister – on a path of intimate violence as they enter a world of hushed commands and soundless journeys through the palace’s dungeons and bedchambers. As his wife seeks his death his daughter Electra is the silent observer to the family’s game of innocence while his son Orestes is sent into bewildering frightening exile where survival is far from certain. Out of their desolating loss Electra and Orestes must find a way to right these wrongs of the past even if it means committing themselves to a terrible barbarous act. House of Names is a story of intense longing and shocking betrayal. It is a work of great beauty and daring from one of our finest living writers. ‘A masterpeice’ Daily Telegraph ‘Devastatingly human … hauntingly believable’ Guardian ‘A celebration of what novels can do’ Observer
