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Fruit of the Dead
An electric contemporary reimagining of the myth of Persephone and Demeter set over the course of one summer on a lush private island, about addiction and sex, family and independence, and who holds the power in a modern underworld.
Camp counselor Cory Ansel, eighteen and aimless, afraid to face her high-strung single mother in New York, is no longer sure where home is when the father of one of her campers offers an alternative. The CEO of a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company, Rolo Picazo is middle-aged, divorced, magnetic. He is also intoxicated by Cory. When Rolo proffers a childcare job (and an NDA), Cory quiets an internal warning and allows herself to be ferried to his private island. Plied with luxury and opiates manufactured by his company, she continues to tell herself she’s in charge. Her mother, Emer, head of a teetering agricultural NGO, senses otherwise. With her daughter seemingly vanished, Emer crosses land and sea to heed a cry for help she alone is convinced she hears.
Alternating between the two women’s perspectives, Rachel Lyon’s Fruit of the Dead incorporates its mythic inspiration with a light touch and devastating precision. The result is a tale that explores love, control, obliteration, and America’s own late capitalist mythos. Lyon’s reinvention of Persephone and Demeter’s story makes for a haunting and ecstatic novel that vibrates with lush abandon. Readers will not soon forget it.
Camp counselor Cory Ansel, eighteen and aimless, afraid to face her high-strung single mother in New York, is no longer sure where home is when the father of one of her campers offers an alternative. The CEO of a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company, Rolo Picazo is middle-aged, divorced, magnetic. He is also intoxicated by Cory. When Rolo proffers a childcare job (and an NDA), Cory quiets an internal warning and allows herself to be ferried to his private island. Plied with luxury and opiates manufactured by his company, she continues to tell herself she’s in charge. Her mother, Emer, head of a teetering agricultural NGO, senses otherwise. With her daughter seemingly vanished, Emer crosses land and sea to heed a cry for help she alone is convinced she hears.
Alternating between the two women’s perspectives, Rachel Lyon’s Fruit of the Dead incorporates its mythic inspiration with a light touch and devastating precision. The result is a tale that explores love, control, obliteration, and America’s own late capitalist mythos. Lyon’s reinvention of Persephone and Demeter’s story makes for a haunting and ecstatic novel that vibrates with lush abandon. Readers will not soon forget it.
316 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 5, 2024
390 people are currently reading
42541 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Lyon
3 books245 followersRachel Lyon is the author of SELF PORTRAIT WITH BOY, a finalist for the Center for Fiction's 2018 First Novel Prize, and FRUIT OF THE DEAD, an Oprah Magazine best book of 2024 which the NY Times called “superb” and “refreshing.” Rachel’s short stories have appeared in One Story, The Rumpus, Electric Literature, and other publications; she has taught creative writing most recently at Bennington College and the American University of Paris, where she was the 2024 Paris Writer in Residence. Originally from Brooklyn, NY, she lives with her family in Western Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,215 reviews
May 25, 2025
hard to imagine a book that sounds better to me than a literary retelling of hades and persephone.
oh MAN this was a ride.
sure, it brought up a lot of conversations it wasn't ready to finish or even have—big pharma, the opioid epidemic, race in america.
sure, it ended just when it had to prove the mother/daughter point it had been scurrying around for several hundred pages.
sure, our persephone (cory) was annoying and insecure and our demeter (emer) was selfish and obsessive and i pitied and despised our hades (rolo).
and yes, it's so goofy that we have to act like this pharmaceutical executive and total creep is someone we can take seriously and not named after a chocolate caramel candy only good for throwing in movie theater popcorn.
but i was consumed by it!
i read this on one of spring's perfect, balmy days, and it was heady and immersive. i felt that august feeling of hot days, cool nights, climbing exhausted into bed with dirty feet and bedraggled hair. i loved our terrible normal characters and this writing. in spite of its flaws.
bottom line: i want summer and more books from this author.
(thanks to the publisher for the copy)
oh MAN this was a ride.
sure, it brought up a lot of conversations it wasn't ready to finish or even have—big pharma, the opioid epidemic, race in america.
sure, it ended just when it had to prove the mother/daughter point it had been scurrying around for several hundred pages.
sure, our persephone (cory) was annoying and insecure and our demeter (emer) was selfish and obsessive and i pitied and despised our hades (rolo).
and yes, it's so goofy that we have to act like this pharmaceutical executive and total creep is someone we can take seriously and not named after a chocolate caramel candy only good for throwing in movie theater popcorn.
but i was consumed by it!
i read this on one of spring's perfect, balmy days, and it was heady and immersive. i felt that august feeling of hot days, cool nights, climbing exhausted into bed with dirty feet and bedraggled hair. i loved our terrible normal characters and this writing. in spite of its flaws.
bottom line: i want summer and more books from this author.
(thanks to the publisher for the copy)
dnf
March 2, 2024dnf
so far, this has proven to be the biggest literary letdown of 2024. lyon's sophomore novel, Fruit of the Dead has none of the brilliance i found in her electrifying debut, Self-Portrait with Boy, back in 2018. lyon's first novel was a tour de force, an evocative and unsettling exploration of female creativity and ambition, one that left an indelible impression on me. the flawed protagonist, lu, was a captivating narrator, simultaneously sympathetic and appalling.
since then, i have been on the lookout for a new release by lyon. so yes, i was fairly hyped for Fruit of the Dead. in some ways, i'm glad lyon wrote this novel, as i imagine that it will be likely to be more of a commercial success than its predecessor (self-proclaimed 'feminist' retellings of greek myths are very much in). at the same time, i am disappointed. beyond the clever gimmick involved in reimagining the myth of Persephone, the novel falls flat. there are an abundance of nods to the original myth, both overt, especially when it comes to the imagery, and more subtle ones, but beyond that lyon retelling is rather banal.
the novel's biggest weakness lies in the portrayal of the 'daughter' character who was regrettably clichéd. i'm surprised that lyon, someone who was able to make a difficult character like lu into a nuanced and compelling individual, her into a layered and memorable character, here resorts to the tired archetype of a 'lost' young woman, who is whiny and wishy-washy, and inevitably falls for an older (supposedly) charming man despite many red flags. the mother character is just as thinly rendered. she's well-intentioned but is pushed away by her bratty daughter. dio mio. the mother-daughter dynamic at play here is flimsy at best.
Fruit of the Dead feels like a misfire. despite the opportunity to breathe new life into the Persephone myth, lyon doesn't venture outside conventional boundaries. not only i craved a more daring and imaginative reinterpretation of this myth but i found myself bored and uninterested by the unfolding events. sure, lyon's prose is as dazzling and self-assured as in her debut, but prose alone doesn't suffice.
if you happen to be interested in this novel i recommend you check out more positive reviews.
so far, this has proven to be the biggest literary letdown of 2024. lyon's sophomore novel, Fruit of the Dead has none of the brilliance i found in her electrifying debut, Self-Portrait with Boy, back in 2018. lyon's first novel was a tour de force, an evocative and unsettling exploration of female creativity and ambition, one that left an indelible impression on me. the flawed protagonist, lu, was a captivating narrator, simultaneously sympathetic and appalling.
since then, i have been on the lookout for a new release by lyon. so yes, i was fairly hyped for Fruit of the Dead. in some ways, i'm glad lyon wrote this novel, as i imagine that it will be likely to be more of a commercial success than its predecessor (self-proclaimed 'feminist' retellings of greek myths are very much in). at the same time, i am disappointed. beyond the clever gimmick involved in reimagining the myth of Persephone, the novel falls flat. there are an abundance of nods to the original myth, both overt, especially when it comes to the imagery, and more subtle ones, but beyond that lyon retelling is rather banal.
the novel's biggest weakness lies in the portrayal of the 'daughter' character who was regrettably clichéd. i'm surprised that lyon, someone who was able to make a difficult character like lu into a nuanced and compelling individual, her into a layered and memorable character, here resorts to the tired archetype of a 'lost' young woman, who is whiny and wishy-washy, and inevitably falls for an older (supposedly) charming man despite many red flags. the mother character is just as thinly rendered. she's well-intentioned but is pushed away by her bratty daughter. dio mio. the mother-daughter dynamic at play here is flimsy at best.
Fruit of the Dead feels like a misfire. despite the opportunity to breathe new life into the Persephone myth, lyon doesn't venture outside conventional boundaries. not only i craved a more daring and imaginative reinterpretation of this myth but i found myself bored and uninterested by the unfolding events. sure, lyon's prose is as dazzling and self-assured as in her debut, but prose alone doesn't suffice.
if you happen to be interested in this novel i recommend you check out more positive reviews.
May 5, 2024
for the grown up percy jackson girlies
January 27, 2024
I got the arc recommended by a colleague cause he knew I liked mythology. Don't read it just for that.
I wanted to DNF this book on page 5, but because I never do that, I kept reading.
This book is boring and annoying. Nothing happens at all. All the characters are unlikeable and extremely one-dimensional.
I only liked Spenser.
The age gap between Rolo and Cory was disgusting. I don't care if it is based on a myth. Those characters were gods in ancient times, this is about 2 normal people in the modern world. I wouldn't have mind so much if the gap was incorporated into the story but I feel like nothing would've changed if they aged up Cory a bit, say early twenties, and aged Rolo down a bit, forties or something.
Cory's chapters were boring and got me questioning if I was reading an angsty YA.
In the beginning, Emer's chapters were a breath of relief cause they were faster paced. But the staccato way of writing her thoughts and movements got annoying fast. I get it gets across her frantic way of being, but it feels like a cheap way to do so.
I lost count how many times I've eyerolled.
Some other choices I've issues with:
Why are Cory's chapters in third person and Emer's in first? It didn't add anything at all. I feel like Cory's chapters could have easily be in first person too, it might have even be better that way.
Also why no quotation marks? I kept rereading stuff cause it wasn't clear if it was said out loud or just description or thoughts.
There must be way better retellings of this story out there. Don't read it for that. But also I don't think this book stands on its own without the myth.
I wanted to DNF this book on page 5, but because I never do that, I kept reading.
This book is boring and annoying. Nothing happens at all. All the characters are unlikeable and extremely one-dimensional.
I only liked Spenser.
The age gap between Rolo and Cory was disgusting. I don't care if it is based on a myth. Those characters were gods in ancient times, this is about 2 normal people in the modern world. I wouldn't have mind so much if the gap was incorporated into the story but I feel like nothing would've changed if they aged up Cory a bit, say early twenties, and aged Rolo down a bit, forties or something.
Cory's chapters were boring and got me questioning if I was reading an angsty YA.
In the beginning, Emer's chapters were a breath of relief cause they were faster paced. But the staccato way of writing her thoughts and movements got annoying fast. I get it gets across her frantic way of being, but it feels like a cheap way to do so.
I lost count how many times I've eyerolled.
Some other choices I've issues with:
Why are Cory's chapters in third person and Emer's in first? It didn't add anything at all. I feel like Cory's chapters could have easily be in first person too, it might have even be better that way.
Also why no quotation marks? I kept rereading stuff cause it wasn't clear if it was said out loud or just description or thoughts.
There must be way better retellings of this story out there. Don't read it for that. But also I don't think this book stands on its own without the myth.
January 7, 2024
fruit of the dead is a contemporary Persephone & Demeter retelling about a girl resisting adulthood, a mother who just wants what she views as best for her daughter, and a man who offers the girl a life she can’t refuse. Truly a trifecta of Greek mythology, messy coming-of-age and complicated mother daughter dynamics. This book completely blew me away.
The chapters alternate between the mother and daughter’s perspectives, and both give the reader something very different and equally satisfying. My heart completely broke (several times!!) and the writing was such a treat, indulgent and written with such a depth I often had to put the book down to process my emotions. Literary and face paced, this was such a wildly satisfying reading experience.
The chapters alternate between the mother and daughter’s perspectives, and both give the reader something very different and equally satisfying. My heart completely broke (several times!!) and the writing was such a treat, indulgent and written with such a depth I often had to put the book down to process my emotions. Literary and face paced, this was such a wildly satisfying reading experience.
December 5, 2025
Watch me read & review this book in my latest reading vlog: https://youtu.be/ChGv_KCFXn0
Written review to come!
Written review to come!
December 8, 2024
4.5 stars
Fruit of the Dead is what I wanted Emma Cline’s The Guest to be: an edgy, intense, and captivating trainwreck of an aimless young woman’s life. True, they’re different stories, but they share a few key similarities. Both feature lost, barely adult women who are meandering their way through life, unsure of which direction to head, and who allow themselves to be swallowed up by drugs, sex, and rich, older men.
But what sets Rachel Lyon’s protagonist, Cory, apart from Cline’s subject, Alex – aside from the fact that Lyon’s book is far better than Cline’s – is that Cory has a mother who loves her. Emer makes all the difference for Cory. She’s a mother force to be reckoned with.
Seeing as Fruit of the Dead is a reimagining of the myth of Persephone and Demeter, you may want to do as I did and skim through the Greek story to refresh the ins and outs of it in your mind. But by no means is the myth required reading – Lyon's book is so riveting that missing the mythological parallels will do nothing to lessen your enjoyment. Finding all the Easter eggs just makes it more fun.
Lyon takes a hard look at pharmaceutical addiction and its dark corporate world, the power dynamic between rich men and younger women, and, more generally, the power dynamic between the rich and the poor. She examines the bond between mother and daughter, shows how the invisible thread that connects a mother to her child is unbreakable and will stretch to the end of the earth. At times emotional, at other times uncomfortable, the book is a thought-provoking and intelligent read, one made even more powerful by Lyon’s beautiful phrasing and way with words. Emer’s chapters, in particular, are filled with many poetic passages.
My only but – the ending. Those who know Persephone’s story will have an idea of how the book ends, but Lyon spells it out too clearly for the reader. I would’ve appreciated a more open conclusion rather than what we’re given. She makes it seem as if Cory knows for sure what she will do next, when I suspect, instead, Cory doesn’t have a clue.
My sincerest appreciation to Rachel Lyon, Scribner, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.
Fruit of the Dead is what I wanted Emma Cline’s The Guest to be: an edgy, intense, and captivating trainwreck of an aimless young woman’s life. True, they’re different stories, but they share a few key similarities. Both feature lost, barely adult women who are meandering their way through life, unsure of which direction to head, and who allow themselves to be swallowed up by drugs, sex, and rich, older men.
But what sets Rachel Lyon’s protagonist, Cory, apart from Cline’s subject, Alex – aside from the fact that Lyon’s book is far better than Cline’s – is that Cory has a mother who loves her. Emer makes all the difference for Cory. She’s a mother force to be reckoned with.
Seeing as Fruit of the Dead is a reimagining of the myth of Persephone and Demeter, you may want to do as I did and skim through the Greek story to refresh the ins and outs of it in your mind. But by no means is the myth required reading – Lyon's book is so riveting that missing the mythological parallels will do nothing to lessen your enjoyment. Finding all the Easter eggs just makes it more fun.
Lyon takes a hard look at pharmaceutical addiction and its dark corporate world, the power dynamic between rich men and younger women, and, more generally, the power dynamic between the rich and the poor. She examines the bond between mother and daughter, shows how the invisible thread that connects a mother to her child is unbreakable and will stretch to the end of the earth. At times emotional, at other times uncomfortable, the book is a thought-provoking and intelligent read, one made even more powerful by Lyon’s beautiful phrasing and way with words. Emer’s chapters, in particular, are filled with many poetic passages.
My only but – the ending. Those who know Persephone’s story will have an idea of how the book ends, but Lyon spells it out too clearly for the reader. I would’ve appreciated a more open conclusion rather than what we’re given. She makes it seem as if Cory knows for sure what she will do next, when I suspect, instead, Cory doesn’t have a clue.
My sincerest appreciation to Rachel Lyon, Scribner, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.
May 12, 2024
I almost gave up on this one in the first 30%, glad I didn't because it really picked up steam after that and the characters really came to life. The characters are all pretty darn messy and it's really entertaining in a kind of abysmal way at times.
November 2, 2024
in the sweat-sticky heat of summer, we meet barely legal camp counselor Cory—aimless, self-conscious, vulnerable, aching for space from her corporate girlboss mother, Emer. ripe for the picking, and easily whisked away to be a live-in nanny for an exorbitantly powerful pharma exec. he offers pills, an escape from what she finds to be an overly strict mom, more money than a girl her age would know what to do with.
i usually hate dual POV, but it was done extremely well and i didn’t find either perspective lacking at all. nobody can hurt you quite as precisely, as deeply, as your own mother or daughter, but at our worst moments, they are the one we want the most.
if you love the oftentimes painful complexity of mother/daughter relationships, power dynamics, and very messy coming of age stories, u might really enjoy this one!
i usually hate dual POV, but it was done extremely well and i didn’t find either perspective lacking at all. nobody can hurt you quite as precisely, as deeply, as your own mother or daughter, but at our worst moments, they are the one we want the most.
if you love the oftentimes painful complexity of mother/daughter relationships, power dynamics, and very messy coming of age stories, u might really enjoy this one!
October 23, 2024
crazy when certain books feel like they’re catered towards a tiktok-user audience. can picture this featured in a ten-second clip with the lady bird (2017) monologue or a mitski song playing in the background.
April 12, 2024
You could replace any of her scenes with a sex doll, and it wouldn't be like... that different? In fact, it could be more exciting than literally any interaction the 18 year old girl has in this entire book!! You can't even get a feel of what other characters might be feeling most of the time because she refuses to listen or pay attention to literally anyone? I lost track of the amount of times she goes 'I wasn't paying attention to what they were saying" and thank God she is hot because this character has 0 iniative to engage with anyone above a surface level.
It would have been better if this book had never been sold as a 'modern retelling' of one of the more famous Greek myths. I usually stay tf away from anything using those words- its way too easy for authors to end up essentially writing fanfiction (and I often fear that 87% of contemporary fiction is ultimately just that as it is)- but I feel like the author could have found more success by going for one of the less mainstream myths. Like, you don't even have to be THAT into Greek myths to know this was executed with so much banality that it almost seems like the author didn't finish the wikipedia page on Persephone x Demeter x Hades. At least she didn't bring Zeus into this, lol.
I read the author writing process as something along the lines of this.
Hmm, myth retellings are hot rn! Ok lets do one with a power dynamic relationship and a mom daughter relationship.
1. alright, so Demeter......harvest?? Farming vibes???.....uh, yeah ok the modern version of this mom is gonna be an agricultural Girl Boss type.
2. Hades....has gotta be evil....and I really wanna use Fruit of the Dead so howabout like.....hes the classic 1% rich from evil stuff...like Big Pharma/opiod dynasty rich...and he is obsessed with barely legal teen girls but hates his own kids....and what if we made the Underworld a epstein private island situation (need a boat after all) where he can play out the all too typical "rich older man hired a nanny that he plans to have sex with" and this will be as easy as talking for like an hour with the freshly 18 year old pink haired camp counselor who is super hot and doesn't wanna work or try out a hobby and doesn't have any personality or interests. She is not supposed to be airheaded so expresses hesitantancy/ and knows her mom wouldn't approve of her going along with a stranger who she KNOWS is literally a horny rich older man obsessed with her looks and youth. Like it doesnt make any sense why she can plainly see this situation for exactly what it is and still goes along with it? She's not a poor orphan without a support system or SO MANY opportunities- it's not even like she doesn't get offered free housing in pretty places on the regular! I was not convinced by her character motivations for going and literally choosing everyday to wake up and stay there. She signed an NDA, yeah, but it was clear that the ferry wasn't exclusively operating on the Hades character's whims since they were even down to bring angry outsiders to the island and she could literally just take the ferry to Portland, Maine basically any time.
-Persephone: shes HOT.....and. ..um....uhhhhhhhhhh..
She is allegedly good with kids but I wouldn't trust this girl alone with my dog for a day.....its genuinely hard to root for her tbh....she makes herself into a hot bimbo airhead type singlehandedly once she gets to the island. (Ie. Cuts off contact with mother w/o warning and deals with her mom thinking shes dead by just dropping her phone in the ocean lol)
- literally refuses to be sober when working with the kids....like her ONLY JOB is to look after the kids and we are supposed to feel bad when shes getting chastised by the parents who hired her to watch their children....for not watching their kids? Like i think its *supposed* to be foreshadowing/sign of controlling tendencies when the dad gets pissed at her for going on a boat to a party "without asking for pernission first" but like......she really SHOULD get permission first? I dont understand how shes been a sleepaway camp counselor and doesnt get that you cant just take off on a boat to party while on nanny duty without at least informing the dad (who is paying you 20k to be the primary caregiver and 100% available to his children for a few weeks) that no one else is looking after his kids. This book had me going "think of the kids!" countless times!
So basically, it is quite likely you won't possibly be terribly satisfied with this book if you were drawn in by the Greek myth onnerion or ever went through any kind of Greek Myth phase as a kid- like if you ever sat on the floor flipping through those kind of books for hours- Stay away! you are gonna be frustrated with the author's boring portrayal of the characters or their dynamics. I can't even say I was too pleased about the 'underworld' itself-like everything seems so half assed tbh because every detail meant to elicit shock or intrigue was just another nail in the stereotype coffin. I have 0 idea how this was passed off as a modern retelling and not just one of the most common narratives in contemporary fiction for the past 3 years. I can appreciate they were alluding to the Big Pharma and Epstein island type rich but like....neither of those things are really related to the actual complicated relationship between Persephone and Hades. It didn't even have a clear message in the ending because it basically implied that Persephone is ok with non-consentual sex in the future so long as she gets money and material things out of it. They briefly mention some sort of garden situation- but it is clear that she's more of a gala/designer clothes/drugs/luxury island lover and honestly just doesn't share a whole lot in common with the original myth characters.
TLDR: If you DGAf about Greek myths and instead go into this looking for the now classic contemporary narrative of a rich older man trying to buy sexual access to the youngest possible girl he can legally have sex with and trying to buy her consent with material items, etc- you will be far happier. I was very disappointed and had to fight back DNF-ing for well into 55% of the book - thankfully, it gets better towards the end - but also....it's never great. It feels like one of the most boring executions I have ever seen for a good premise. The writing is fine, but the main character is BEYOND flat. You could replace her with a sex doll and 99% of the scenes would be super similar.
It would have been better if this book had never been sold as a 'modern retelling' of one of the more famous Greek myths. I usually stay tf away from anything using those words- its way too easy for authors to end up essentially writing fanfiction (and I often fear that 87% of contemporary fiction is ultimately just that as it is)- but I feel like the author could have found more success by going for one of the less mainstream myths. Like, you don't even have to be THAT into Greek myths to know this was executed with so much banality that it almost seems like the author didn't finish the wikipedia page on Persephone x Demeter x Hades. At least she didn't bring Zeus into this, lol.
I read the author writing process as something along the lines of this.
Hmm, myth retellings are hot rn! Ok lets do one with a power dynamic relationship and a mom daughter relationship.
1. alright, so Demeter......harvest?? Farming vibes???.....uh, yeah ok the modern version of this mom is gonna be an agricultural Girl Boss type.
2. Hades....has gotta be evil....and I really wanna use Fruit of the Dead so howabout like.....hes the classic 1% rich from evil stuff...like Big Pharma/opiod dynasty rich...and he is obsessed with barely legal teen girls but hates his own kids....and what if we made the Underworld a epstein private island situation (need a boat after all) where he can play out the all too typical "rich older man hired a nanny that he plans to have sex with" and this will be as easy as talking for like an hour with the freshly 18 year old pink haired camp counselor who is super hot and doesn't wanna work or try out a hobby and doesn't have any personality or interests. She is not supposed to be airheaded so expresses hesitantancy/ and knows her mom wouldn't approve of her going along with a stranger who she KNOWS is literally a horny rich older man obsessed with her looks and youth. Like it doesnt make any sense why she can plainly see this situation for exactly what it is and still goes along with it? She's not a poor orphan without a support system or SO MANY opportunities- it's not even like she doesn't get offered free housing in pretty places on the regular! I was not convinced by her character motivations for going and literally choosing everyday to wake up and stay there. She signed an NDA, yeah, but it was clear that the ferry wasn't exclusively operating on the Hades character's whims since they were even down to bring angry outsiders to the island and she could literally just take the ferry to Portland, Maine basically any time.
-Persephone: shes HOT.....and. ..um....uhhhhhhhhhh..
She is allegedly good with kids but I wouldn't trust this girl alone with my dog for a day.....its genuinely hard to root for her tbh....she makes herself into a hot bimbo airhead type singlehandedly once she gets to the island. (Ie. Cuts off contact with mother w/o warning and deals with her mom thinking shes dead by just dropping her phone in the ocean lol)
- literally refuses to be sober when working with the kids....like her ONLY JOB is to look after the kids and we are supposed to feel bad when shes getting chastised by the parents who hired her to watch their children....for not watching their kids? Like i think its *supposed* to be foreshadowing/sign of controlling tendencies when the dad gets pissed at her for going on a boat to a party "without asking for pernission first" but like......she really SHOULD get permission first? I dont understand how shes been a sleepaway camp counselor and doesnt get that you cant just take off on a boat to party while on nanny duty without at least informing the dad (who is paying you 20k to be the primary caregiver and 100% available to his children for a few weeks) that no one else is looking after his kids. This book had me going "think of the kids!" countless times!
So basically, it is quite likely you won't possibly be terribly satisfied with this book if you were drawn in by the Greek myth onnerion or ever went through any kind of Greek Myth phase as a kid- like if you ever sat on the floor flipping through those kind of books for hours- Stay away! you are gonna be frustrated with the author's boring portrayal of the characters or their dynamics. I can't even say I was too pleased about the 'underworld' itself-like everything seems so half assed tbh because every detail meant to elicit shock or intrigue was just another nail in the stereotype coffin. I have 0 idea how this was passed off as a modern retelling and not just one of the most common narratives in contemporary fiction for the past 3 years. I can appreciate they were alluding to the Big Pharma and Epstein island type rich but like....neither of those things are really related to the actual complicated relationship between Persephone and Hades. It didn't even have a clear message in the ending because it basically implied that Persephone is ok with non-consentual sex in the future so long as she gets money and material things out of it. They briefly mention some sort of garden situation- but it is clear that she's more of a gala/designer clothes/drugs/luxury island lover and honestly just doesn't share a whole lot in common with the original myth characters.
TLDR: If you DGAf about Greek myths and instead go into this looking for the now classic contemporary narrative of a rich older man trying to buy sexual access to the youngest possible girl he can legally have sex with and trying to buy her consent with material items, etc- you will be far happier. I was very disappointed and had to fight back DNF-ing for well into 55% of the book - thankfully, it gets better towards the end - but also....it's never great. It feels like one of the most boring executions I have ever seen for a good premise. The writing is fine, but the main character is BEYOND flat. You could replace her with a sex doll and 99% of the scenes would be super similar.
June 2, 2024
You should read this book if you’re interested in feeling the godly rages discussed in Greek mythology. I read this with a sense of intense desire to wreck havoc on the world and I will never recover. Perhaps one of the best things I’ve read in so long.
April 24, 2024
*1.5
Written to sell, and not in a good way. So average it was insulting, the book lacks a compelling creative force and relies on insipid, cliche scenarios without the meat of literary craft that could have elevated it to something awesome. I can do weird, experimental prose (none of the POV or dialogue changes really bothered me), and I understand what the author was going for, but was it successful? What did it add, exactly? Overall, this is an artistically shallow, boring, and unremarkable contemporary overhaul of a classic that did not need redoing.
If you want a visceral read about bad mother/daughter relationships and groomed girls, just stick to Lolita, my god!!!
Written to sell, and not in a good way. So average it was insulting, the book lacks a compelling creative force and relies on insipid, cliche scenarios without the meat of literary craft that could have elevated it to something awesome. I can do weird, experimental prose (none of the POV or dialogue changes really bothered me), and I understand what the author was going for, but was it successful? What did it add, exactly? Overall, this is an artistically shallow, boring, and unremarkable contemporary overhaul of a classic that did not need redoing.
If you want a visceral read about bad mother/daughter relationships and groomed girls, just stick to Lolita, my god!!!
February 8, 2025
I’m kicking myself for not picking this one up sooner!
Beautifully written modern retelling of Persephone and Demeter. Although you don’t have to be familiar with the original mythology to enjoy this one but I do believe it adds an interesting layer. Filled with unlikeable and delightfuly flawed characters, parts of the story reads like a fever dream and others make the reader feel as if they are watching the story play out in real life.
The book has many themes, and touches on bug pharma/opioid epidemic, addiction, mother-daughter relationships, classism, sexism, and race. Readers of literary fiction and Greek mythology will love this one
Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon is now available in hardcover and now available in paperback on February 4. Many thanks to Scribner Books for the gifted copy!
Beautifully written modern retelling of Persephone and Demeter. Although you don’t have to be familiar with the original mythology to enjoy this one but I do believe it adds an interesting layer. Filled with unlikeable and delightfuly flawed characters, parts of the story reads like a fever dream and others make the reader feel as if they are watching the story play out in real life.
The book has many themes, and touches on bug pharma/opioid epidemic, addiction, mother-daughter relationships, classism, sexism, and race. Readers of literary fiction and Greek mythology will love this one
Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon is now available in hardcover and now available in paperback on February 4. Many thanks to Scribner Books for the gifted copy!
March 5, 2024
The writing style really wasn't for me... It was split into two perspectives Cory (daughter) and Emer (mom). It was like one long stream of consciousness mixed into scenes where something was currently happening. No quotation marks or breaks when actual conversations were taking place. The first 3 chapters took up 100 pages.
The story was still decent, but I never felt anything for the characters or what they were experiencing.
3.5 stars rounded down... also, really not sure why this is categorized as "Horror" it's definitely not.
The story was still decent, but I never felt anything for the characters or what they were experiencing.
3.5 stars rounded down... also, really not sure why this is categorized as "Horror" it's definitely not.
July 21, 2024
I was mesmerized the entire time
Read
December 4, 2023If there is something wrong with this book it's that it is simply too short for my taste.
I was really excited at the idea of a story focusing on the relationship of Demeter and Persephone. I didn't particularly care about the contemporary trappings of the myth, or that Hades would have to be present out of necessity. I don't even think that the actual narrative of the book is all that different than the synopsis, just that the book I built in my head was different than the one I actually read.
So even with that disclaimer, I don't think this book really works. We start the book meeting Cory, fresh off a summer working at a camp the wealthy father of the boy she was comforting on the last day talks her into being a nanny for his children for the next sixish weeks and in exchange she'll get 20k. Usually when characters in books are offered a life changing amount of money, and for Cory who desperately wants to leave her mother and have a gap year with only the savings from camp to go on, she readily accepts and is whisked off to the gated community our Hades-esque character calls home.
Emer, Cory's mother, is the face of a agricultural situation. What it was supposed to be exactly went over my head, other than they had funded this genetically modified rice that was meant to be able to produce more than regular rice? It might also be nutritionally fortified... Honestly it doesn't matter because this whole set up really only exists to let us know that she's been focused on her work and rubbing shoulders with Senators and former Presidents in relation to this business at the start of the book. Then in a nod to the original myth I suppose the dubbed Magic Rice fails to yield anything for the farmers in China they've been working with, she gets a lot of negative media attention for this all as she realizes that Cory has taken a mysterious new job and didn't come home after camp.
The narrative bounces back and forth from there, us seeing Cory as a nanny in a situation that feels like the reader is trapped in a fun house mirror and her mother one step behind trying to reunite with her daughter.
In a way this was probably what I should have seen coming, but I just wanted more from this mother/daughter story. Most of what we see of their relationship is in small moments of flashbacks. In the present I wasn't invested in either storyline. Like I said at the start I think that the narrative would have benefited from being a little longer. Partly because their reunification is so easy? I dunno. it just never clicked into place for me.
I'll also say that there's a scene in the book near the end that feels sexually dubious at best... It was personally giving assault to me, but I'm unsure if that was how the moment was meant to play out. Partially because the book does this thing where it wants to end on this note of maybe Cory will leave her mother again and return to this wealthy pharmaceutical ceo even though there was nothing compelling about their relationship and he did give off assaulter vibes.
I'm sad that this didn't work out for me in quite the ways I hoped, but I'm sure there's an audience for this one. Just don't ask me who it is.
I was really excited at the idea of a story focusing on the relationship of Demeter and Persephone. I didn't particularly care about the contemporary trappings of the myth, or that Hades would have to be present out of necessity. I don't even think that the actual narrative of the book is all that different than the synopsis, just that the book I built in my head was different than the one I actually read.
So even with that disclaimer, I don't think this book really works. We start the book meeting Cory, fresh off a summer working at a camp the wealthy father of the boy she was comforting on the last day talks her into being a nanny for his children for the next sixish weeks and in exchange she'll get 20k. Usually when characters in books are offered a life changing amount of money, and for Cory who desperately wants to leave her mother and have a gap year with only the savings from camp to go on, she readily accepts and is whisked off to the gated community our Hades-esque character calls home.
Emer, Cory's mother, is the face of a agricultural situation. What it was supposed to be exactly went over my head, other than they had funded this genetically modified rice that was meant to be able to produce more than regular rice? It might also be nutritionally fortified... Honestly it doesn't matter because this whole set up really only exists to let us know that she's been focused on her work and rubbing shoulders with Senators and former Presidents in relation to this business at the start of the book. Then in a nod to the original myth I suppose the dubbed Magic Rice fails to yield anything for the farmers in China they've been working with, she gets a lot of negative media attention for this all as she realizes that Cory has taken a mysterious new job and didn't come home after camp.
The narrative bounces back and forth from there, us seeing Cory as a nanny in a situation that feels like the reader is trapped in a fun house mirror and her mother one step behind trying to reunite with her daughter.
In a way this was probably what I should have seen coming, but I just wanted more from this mother/daughter story. Most of what we see of their relationship is in small moments of flashbacks. In the present I wasn't invested in either storyline. Like I said at the start I think that the narrative would have benefited from being a little longer. Partly because their reunification is so easy? I dunno. it just never clicked into place for me.
I'll also say that there's a scene in the book near the end that feels sexually dubious at best... It was personally giving assault to me, but I'm unsure if that was how the moment was meant to play out. Partially because the book does this thing where it wants to end on this note of maybe Cory will leave her mother again and return to this wealthy pharmaceutical ceo even though there was nothing compelling about their relationship and he did give off assaulter vibes.
I'm sad that this didn't work out for me in quite the ways I hoped, but I'm sure there's an audience for this one. Just don't ask me who it is.
February 18, 2024
(I received this book as a free ARC from NetGalley)
What a bizarre novel. It feels more like a poem in a lot of ways. I think the pacing was a little off. Sometimes, I felt the author could have gotten to the "action" faster, and other times I felt like things happened too quickly. I don't know if the plot threat about the rice is altogether necessary, but I understand it builds tension in the mother's POV chapters.
Overall, this novel reads like a fever dream. It's so fast and is told in these long stretches of beautiful prose and metaphor that are so stunning. The author truly has a mastery of the art of language, and honestly I would read a terms and conditions form if it was written by her, in this way.
I thought the characters were really kooky, it almost felt like Lemony Snicket for adults at times. It had the feverishness of Bunny by Mona Awad but much more intense.
Also! The cover art! Is so stunning!
What a bizarre novel. It feels more like a poem in a lot of ways. I think the pacing was a little off. Sometimes, I felt the author could have gotten to the "action" faster, and other times I felt like things happened too quickly. I don't know if the plot threat about the rice is altogether necessary, but I understand it builds tension in the mother's POV chapters.
Overall, this novel reads like a fever dream. It's so fast and is told in these long stretches of beautiful prose and metaphor that are so stunning. The author truly has a mastery of the art of language, and honestly I would read a terms and conditions form if it was written by her, in this way.
I thought the characters were really kooky, it almost felt like Lemony Snicket for adults at times. It had the feverishness of Bunny by Mona Awad but much more intense.
Also! The cover art! Is so stunning!
February 27, 2025
3.5/5
“She buries the anxiety, shoving it deep and out of sight, in the jumbled laundry pile of her mind.”
“She buries the anxiety, shoving it deep and out of sight, in the jumbled laundry pile of her mind.”
May 7, 2024
I wanted so badly to like this. I read the blurb and I thought this was tailor-made for me:
Greek mythology retelling? Addiction, sex, power imbalance??? A MODERN UNDERWORLD??? A, and I quote, "tale that explores love, control, obliteration, and America’s own late capitalist mythos."???? GIVE IT TO ME!!!
Unfortunately, I did not get what I was expecting. I was perhaps too eager to get my hands on a literary hades/persephone review, but, as the blurb says, this is much more focused on persephone and demeter. And that's where my problems begin.
This book's very premise hangs on the very fractured relationship between Cory (our Persephone) and her mother, Emer. In order for me to care about the book and the story it tells, I have to care about Cory and Emer. And, sadly, I just don't. Cory is incredibly unlikeable. She's an 18 year old who doesn't know what to do with her life; we've all been there! Her relationship with her mother started deteriorating during adolescence, as it tends to happen. Her mother is a very high-strung woman, and I got the impression that she was overbearing except when she really needed to be... anyways. M problem doesn't lie in these characters being flawed, my problem is that I was given nothing to root for. When Cory accepts a shady job with a shady billionaire, her mother begins a wild chase to find her (even though she left of her own free volition... but that rant will come later), and Emer's love for Cory is clear. It's a very raw depiction of motherhood because it doesn't shy away from the ugly feelings: the fear, the resentment when your children don't turn out to be what you wanted them to be, the grief of it all. The grief guys, the grief! That's one thing that this novel did right, Emer's grief.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to make me like the novel. I know Emer loves Cory. In her own way, in a flawed way, definitely not in the way Cory needed to be loved, but in the way she could love her (no one teaches us how to be parents, after all). And as annoying and overbearing and even a little insane as Emer was, I enjoyed being with her (for the most part... sometimes the train-of-thought writing style was too messy for my ESL ass; besides, her whole thing got a little tired after a while but... yeah). Cory though? She's a whole 'nother story.
I found Cory annoying. I struggle to see her redeeming qualities bc apparently she's good with children, but so!!! It's so hard to connect with her because she's very aimless and empty. I understand it's supposed to be a faithful recreation of an 18 y/o, but oh my god... and I think it wouldn't bother me so much if the entire thesis of the book didn't depend on me caring about her.
This was a frustrating book because on many occasions I saw glimpses of what this book could've been. It talks about addiction and wealth and coming-of-age and sexual assault, and yet... it's so empty. Like the book doesn't have anything meaningful to say, so it becomes a very weird experience.
I didn't like her dynamic with Rolo either. This I 100% accept as it simply being not to my taste. I like to think of the Hades/Persephone myth in a much more romantic light, and this was anything but. I do think the author could've given Rolo some redeeming qualities bc he really was just a cliché, I would've liked for our Hades to be an actual character but oh well.
Finally.
Not once do we wonder who has the power in the modern underworld. Rolo had the hots for Cory but Cory never once used it to control him. He had the power the whole time, so yeah, if you'd like to read about a more interesting dynamic than "billionaire creep tries to have his way with barely legal naïve idiot" this isn't the book to do so.
I really wanted to love this book man.
Greek mythology retelling? Addiction, sex, power imbalance??? A MODERN UNDERWORLD??? A, and I quote, "tale that explores love, control, obliteration, and America’s own late capitalist mythos."???? GIVE IT TO ME!!!
Unfortunately, I did not get what I was expecting. I was perhaps too eager to get my hands on a literary hades/persephone review, but, as the blurb says, this is much more focused on persephone and demeter. And that's where my problems begin.
This book's very premise hangs on the very fractured relationship between Cory (our Persephone) and her mother, Emer. In order for me to care about the book and the story it tells, I have to care about Cory and Emer. And, sadly, I just don't. Cory is incredibly unlikeable. She's an 18 year old who doesn't know what to do with her life; we've all been there! Her relationship with her mother started deteriorating during adolescence, as it tends to happen. Her mother is a very high-strung woman, and I got the impression that she was overbearing except when she really needed to be... anyways. M problem doesn't lie in these characters being flawed, my problem is that I was given nothing to root for. When Cory accepts a shady job with a shady billionaire, her mother begins a wild chase to find her (even though she left of her own free volition... but that rant will come later), and Emer's love for Cory is clear. It's a very raw depiction of motherhood because it doesn't shy away from the ugly feelings: the fear, the resentment when your children don't turn out to be what you wanted them to be, the grief of it all. The grief guys, the grief! That's one thing that this novel did right, Emer's grief.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to make me like the novel. I know Emer loves Cory. In her own way, in a flawed way, definitely not in the way Cory needed to be loved, but in the way she could love her (no one teaches us how to be parents, after all). And as annoying and overbearing and even a little insane as Emer was, I enjoyed being with her (for the most part... sometimes the train-of-thought writing style was too messy for my ESL ass; besides, her whole thing got a little tired after a while but... yeah). Cory though? She's a whole 'nother story.
I found Cory annoying. I struggle to see her redeeming qualities bc apparently she's good with children, but so!!! It's so hard to connect with her because she's very aimless and empty. I understand it's supposed to be a faithful recreation of an 18 y/o, but oh my god... and I think it wouldn't bother me so much if the entire thesis of the book didn't depend on me caring about her.
This was a frustrating book because on many occasions I saw glimpses of what this book could've been. It talks about addiction and wealth and coming-of-age and sexual assault, and yet... it's so empty. Like the book doesn't have anything meaningful to say, so it becomes a very weird experience.
I didn't like her dynamic with Rolo either. This I 100% accept as it simply being not to my taste. I like to think of the Hades/Persephone myth in a much more romantic light, and this was anything but. I do think the author could've given Rolo some redeeming qualities bc he really was just a cliché, I would've liked for our Hades to be an actual character but oh well.
Finally.
An electric contemporary reimagining of the myth of Persephone and Demeter set over the course of one summer on a lush private island, about addiction and sex, family and independence, and who holds the power in a modern underworld.
Not once do we wonder who has the power in the modern underworld. Rolo had the hots for Cory but Cory never once used it to control him. He had the power the whole time, so yeah, if you'd like to read about a more interesting dynamic than "billionaire creep tries to have his way with barely legal naïve idiot" this isn't the book to do so.
I really wanted to love this book man.
January 31, 2025
4.5⭐️
Lots to say about this one. FRTC
Lots to say about this one. FRTC
March 18, 2025
I gave myself a few days to decide how I really felt about this one.
A contemporary hades/persephone retelling!? I was
so locked in!!?
But if I’m honest, this is more of a Demeter/persephone retelling. And if Hades is involved, it’s the greek version that most of us don’t like to talk about (yet, likely need to)
the writing style is unique and stands on its own, but it took me a moment to break away from the dread and become immersed; I did get there, though.
It wasn’t until days later that I realized how much I actually loved this book.
It was:
Tragic. Odd. Slow. Frustrating. Infatuating. Devastating. Gross. Beautiful. Intoxicating…..
I felt both lives portrayed in this story not only existing but ROARING within me as I read. The older me and younger me. The woman worn down and correcting herself—-the child worn down and ever searching for meaning.
I found myself hating and loving both mom and daughter.
I found myself rooting for them and also praying that they would just STOP.
when I compare it to some ways the Greek myth goes, I completely understand it…. Even if it’s uncomfortable.
Excited to read more by this author
A contemporary hades/persephone retelling!? I was
so locked in!!?
But if I’m honest, this is more of a Demeter/persephone retelling. And if Hades is involved, it’s the greek version that most of us don’t like to talk about (yet, likely need to)
the writing style is unique and stands on its own, but it took me a moment to break away from the dread and become immersed; I did get there, though.
It wasn’t until days later that I realized how much I actually loved this book.
It was:
Tragic. Odd. Slow. Frustrating. Infatuating. Devastating. Gross. Beautiful. Intoxicating…..
I felt both lives portrayed in this story not only existing but ROARING within me as I read. The older me and younger me. The woman worn down and correcting herself—-the child worn down and ever searching for meaning.
I found myself hating and loving both mom and daughter.
I found myself rooting for them and also praying that they would just STOP.
when I compare it to some ways the Greek myth goes, I completely understand it…. Even if it’s uncomfortable.
Excited to read more by this author
April 18, 2024
I buddy read this one with Noelle and we both really enjoyed it.
A modern day/contemporary retelling of the Persephone and Demeter myth. — Cory is young, lost after graduation with no plan in sight, just that she knows she doesn’t want to return home from summer camp (as a camp counselor) to her mother, who has high expectations for her. Instead, Cory takes an offer from an older man, a CEO of a large pharmaceutical company, to come to his remote, private island to care for his children. Cory’s mother knows something is amiss, and desperately begins to search for her daughter.
A page turner of sorts; a story of feeling lost, addiction, desire, and complicated mother/daughter dynamics. I found Lyon’s use of comparing genetically modified things in the modern world, to immortality described in the Greek myth, to be really interesting. I also really enjoyed the alternating POVs, it made the story feel more compelling and propulsive.
I loved how sensory it felt, I could feel the sticky heat, taste the bitterness. This is very much a book that should be read in the summer. Full of lush and vivid prose, I was in awe of Lyon’s writing style.
I’ll be keeping this one on my shelf, and looking forward to more of Lyon’s work in the future.
A modern day/contemporary retelling of the Persephone and Demeter myth. — Cory is young, lost after graduation with no plan in sight, just that she knows she doesn’t want to return home from summer camp (as a camp counselor) to her mother, who has high expectations for her. Instead, Cory takes an offer from an older man, a CEO of a large pharmaceutical company, to come to his remote, private island to care for his children. Cory’s mother knows something is amiss, and desperately begins to search for her daughter.
A page turner of sorts; a story of feeling lost, addiction, desire, and complicated mother/daughter dynamics. I found Lyon’s use of comparing genetically modified things in the modern world, to immortality described in the Greek myth, to be really interesting. I also really enjoyed the alternating POVs, it made the story feel more compelling and propulsive.
I loved how sensory it felt, I could feel the sticky heat, taste the bitterness. This is very much a book that should be read in the summer. Full of lush and vivid prose, I was in awe of Lyon’s writing style.
I’ll be keeping this one on my shelf, and looking forward to more of Lyon’s work in the future.
June 16, 2025
read this while my fever was breaking which made it extra trippy. I thought the use of first person/third person perspective was really well done and the degree of connection it consequently made me feel towards both Cory and Emer. Loved the modern and unique spin on a hades and persephone retelling though the execution felt quite lacklustre and it lost me exponentially as the book went on — but the vision was definitely there and i like the ambition!
April 22, 2024
A strangely compelling, sort-of retelling of the Persephone & Demeter myth.
Despite being marketed as a retelling I think anyone heading into this expecting a straight myth reimagining will be disappointed. Instead we're treated to a pretty dark, twisted tale of seduction, assault and addiction - the themes of the myth running through a story that's modern and unforgiving.
I read it in a day, drawn into the weird late-summer vibe, the intoxicating writing and the sheer discomfort of it all. The dream-like scenes at the summer camp, the uncomfortable abduction, the desperate mother at the edge of her wits.
A lot of the mythological elements are a bit on the nose (the Hades figure has three dogs, there's a ferry person who transports them to his mansion on an island) but it's sort of charming in this way too.
A strange book that I think will be quite divisive. I liked it a lot.
Despite being marketed as a retelling I think anyone heading into this expecting a straight myth reimagining will be disappointed. Instead we're treated to a pretty dark, twisted tale of seduction, assault and addiction - the themes of the myth running through a story that's modern and unforgiving.
I read it in a day, drawn into the weird late-summer vibe, the intoxicating writing and the sheer discomfort of it all. The dream-like scenes at the summer camp, the uncomfortable abduction, the desperate mother at the edge of her wits.
A lot of the mythological elements are a bit on the nose (the Hades figure has three dogs, there's a ferry person who transports them to his mansion on an island) but it's sort of charming in this way too.
A strange book that I think will be quite divisive. I liked it a lot.
May 9, 2025
wow. sharp. electric. brilliant. fever-inducing. a better rtc when i can form one.
June 20, 2024
Totally consumed by Rolo’s world and Cory’s psyche!
Fruit of the Dead, 4.5⭐️'s, is a beautifully written, lush and atmospheric retell of Persephone and Demeter. This contemporary take on the Greek myth is an honest and raw portrayal of the Maiden, Mother and Crone archetypes and the power of a mother's love.
One summer, when Cory is abruptly and mysteriously whisked away to work for Rolo, CEO of a pharmaceutical company, both mother and daughter are tested by this unexpected turn of events.
We witness Cory flail through her departure from childhood; a frivolous young lady, newly 18 years with not one, whole thought for the future. She is ever the maiden, the damsel in distress. And her mother, Emer, is both haunted and nurtured by the memories of her early maternal years raising Cory as a single mom. Willing to sacrifice everything and release years of grief, we witness her mother's own transformation as well.
I was mesmerized and drooled over the imagery Lyon plucked up over some of the most mundane things. Lyon has a way of writing that appeals to the senses and kept me locked in this fever dream of a world. And without quotation marks it reads like I was sifting through a dream, as well. It was fluid and intuitive when one person stopped and another began, though. I could not sleep after finishing the book because my mind was still so wrapped up in these characters.
It was a visceral experience reading Fruit of the Dead
My only critique is the ending and Cory's general character arc, or lack thereof. The ease with which Cory falls into the grasp of a man like Rolo is the direct product of living under the wing of such a strict and vigilant single mother. She is the product of living without a strong male figure in her life. So, unfortunately, from both mother and daughter's perspective, we see a lot of the shadow side of these feminine archetypes. And while I appreciate the ending for it's alignment with the myth, I also feel so deeply worried for Cory haha!
Fruit of the Dead is a heart (warming, pounding, wrenching, breaking) filled tale. The connections to the original myth are subtle and creatively woven into the modern day setting. Truly beautiful and unforgettable book, it was an experience! 100% recommend.
💗 A Taste of the Text 💗🤤
“and she feels tugged toward him, a corporeal acquiescence, as natural and strangely physical as if he had her on a leash.”
"Fear is better than boredom, she reasons, danger trumps familiarity, the unknown is always more interesting than the known."
"Here is a man for whom beauty is food to be gobbled."
"Empty of Cory, I was emptied, too, of all that beauty. Bleary bloated weeping leaking haggard chapped and sagging."
Fruit of the Dead, 4.5⭐️'s, is a beautifully written, lush and atmospheric retell of Persephone and Demeter. This contemporary take on the Greek myth is an honest and raw portrayal of the Maiden, Mother and Crone archetypes and the power of a mother's love.
One summer, when Cory is abruptly and mysteriously whisked away to work for Rolo, CEO of a pharmaceutical company, both mother and daughter are tested by this unexpected turn of events.
We witness Cory flail through her departure from childhood; a frivolous young lady, newly 18 years with not one, whole thought for the future. She is ever the maiden, the damsel in distress. And her mother, Emer, is both haunted and nurtured by the memories of her early maternal years raising Cory as a single mom. Willing to sacrifice everything and release years of grief, we witness her mother's own transformation as well.
I was mesmerized and drooled over the imagery Lyon plucked up over some of the most mundane things. Lyon has a way of writing that appeals to the senses and kept me locked in this fever dream of a world. And without quotation marks it reads like I was sifting through a dream, as well. It was fluid and intuitive when one person stopped and another began, though. I could not sleep after finishing the book because my mind was still so wrapped up in these characters.
It was a visceral experience reading Fruit of the Dead
My only critique is the ending and Cory's general character arc, or lack thereof. The ease with which Cory falls into the grasp of a man like Rolo is the direct product of living under the wing of such a strict and vigilant single mother. She is the product of living without a strong male figure in her life. So, unfortunately, from both mother and daughter's perspective, we see a lot of the shadow side of these feminine archetypes. And while I appreciate the ending for it's alignment with the myth, I also feel so deeply worried for Cory haha!
Fruit of the Dead is a heart (warming, pounding, wrenching, breaking) filled tale. The connections to the original myth are subtle and creatively woven into the modern day setting. Truly beautiful and unforgettable book, it was an experience! 100% recommend.
💗 A Taste of the Text 💗🤤
“and she feels tugged toward him, a corporeal acquiescence, as natural and strangely physical as if he had her on a leash.”
"Fear is better than boredom, she reasons, danger trumps familiarity, the unknown is always more interesting than the known."
"Here is a man for whom beauty is food to be gobbled."
"Empty of Cory, I was emptied, too, of all that beauty. Bleary bloated weeping leaking haggard chapped and sagging."
September 24, 2025
An intoxicating contemporary retelling of Hades and Persephone that focuses on mother/daughter relationships, power dynamics, and coming of age.
When Cory, freshly legal camp counselor is asked to nanny by Rolo (bad name I know!! It was very distracting), a camp participants father, and well known CEO of a sketchy pharmaceutical company, she warily agrees, signing an NDA and promising to not tell her mother where she is. Her mother, Emer, head of a failing agricultural NGO, promptly abandons her job to go find her daughter.
Told in dual POV, Lyon’s writing is stunning- with beautiful prose and distinct voices for each character. I loved that each chapter pays homage to Homers hymns to Demeter. This book was truly captivating- weaving together lyric and story and myth. I do think this book brought up several big topics that it fails to truly address, like big pharma, the opioid epidemic, and SA. Lyons writing made up for this books shortcomings though- I devoured this.
When Cory, freshly legal camp counselor is asked to nanny by Rolo (bad name I know!! It was very distracting), a camp participants father, and well known CEO of a sketchy pharmaceutical company, she warily agrees, signing an NDA and promising to not tell her mother where she is. Her mother, Emer, head of a failing agricultural NGO, promptly abandons her job to go find her daughter.
Told in dual POV, Lyon’s writing is stunning- with beautiful prose and distinct voices for each character. I loved that each chapter pays homage to Homers hymns to Demeter. This book was truly captivating- weaving together lyric and story and myth. I do think this book brought up several big topics that it fails to truly address, like big pharma, the opioid epidemic, and SA. Lyons writing made up for this books shortcomings though- I devoured this.
July 10, 2024
Only finished this because I paid $26 for it
February 10, 2025
the vibes were concerning yet immaculate. i love the myth of persephone so with that in mind, i think this was an enjoyable modern retelling — coming from someone who’s generally not a fan of retellings.
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