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Son of Nobody: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 31 Mar 26From the author of the international bestseller Life of Pi, a brilliant retelling of the Trojan War from the perspective of two an ancient soldier and a modern scholar.
The Psoad is an Ancient Greek epic in free verse that follows a goatherd’s son, Psoas of Midea, who leaves his wife and family to fight with the Greeks at Troy. This commoner’s story was lost to time—until Harlow Donne, a Canadian academic who has left his own wife and daughter behind to study at Oxford, discovers its relics nearly thirty centuries later.
As sole translator and interpreter of The Psoad, Harlow dedicates the poem and its footnotes to his daughter, Helen. Under his gaze, a personal message to his beloved child appears in the ancient text, like a palimpsest. Despite the thousands of years and hundreds of miles that separate Psoas and Harlow, a thread hasn’t the universal song of homesickness and regret, of love, ambition, and grief.
Son of Nobody takes readers from the plains of Troy to the halls of Oxford, from the classical to the contemporary, from ancient verses to modern footnotes. It is a dazzling, masterful feat of myth, history, and domesticity that explores how stories become facts, the price we pay to share them, and how we live—then, now, always.
The Psoad is an Ancient Greek epic in free verse that follows a goatherd’s son, Psoas of Midea, who leaves his wife and family to fight with the Greeks at Troy. This commoner’s story was lost to time—until Harlow Donne, a Canadian academic who has left his own wife and daughter behind to study at Oxford, discovers its relics nearly thirty centuries later.
As sole translator and interpreter of The Psoad, Harlow dedicates the poem and its footnotes to his daughter, Helen. Under his gaze, a personal message to his beloved child appears in the ancient text, like a palimpsest. Despite the thousands of years and hundreds of miles that separate Psoas and Harlow, a thread hasn’t the universal song of homesickness and regret, of love, ambition, and grief.
Son of Nobody takes readers from the plains of Troy to the halls of Oxford, from the classical to the contemporary, from ancient verses to modern footnotes. It is a dazzling, masterful feat of myth, history, and domesticity that explores how stories become facts, the price we pay to share them, and how we live—then, now, always.
341 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 31, 2026
27 people are currently reading
21405 people want to read
About the author
Yann Martel
35 books5,353 followersYann Martel is a Canadian author who wrote the Man Booker Prize–winning novel Life of Pi, an international bestseller published in more than 50 territories. It has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and spent more than a year on the bestseller lists of the New York Times and The Globe and Mail, among many other best-selling lists. Life of Pi was adapted for a movie directed by Ang Lee, garnering four Oscars including Best Director and winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.
Martel is also the author of the novels The High Mountains of Portugal, Beatrice and Virgil, and Self, the collection of stories The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, and a collection of letters to Canada's Prime Minister 101 Letters to a Prime Minister. He has won a number of literary prizes, including the 2001 Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction and the 2002 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.
Martel lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with writer Alice Kuipers and their four children. His first language is French, but he writes in English.
Martel is also the author of the novels The High Mountains of Portugal, Beatrice and Virgil, and Self, the collection of stories The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, and a collection of letters to Canada's Prime Minister 101 Letters to a Prime Minister. He has won a number of literary prizes, including the 2001 Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction and the 2002 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.
Martel lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with writer Alice Kuipers and their four children. His first language is French, but he writes in English.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Wooof, this is one ambitious novel: Martel creates an epic poem about the Trojan War that offers if not alternative history, then alternative myth to The Iliad, and frames it with a story about the trials and tribulations of a contemporary classicist. The clue: While Homer sings of the glory of gods, heroes, and the nobility, Martel sings about the destiny of commoners, the sons of nobody, while highlighting the eternal truths about the human condition contained in an almost 3,000 year-old story: Our blind wrath leads to madness and total destruction.
The novel's protagonist and narrator Harlow Donne, a PhD candidate who researches Homer at a small Canadian university, receives a scholarship for Oxford University and temporarily leaves behind his wife and nine-year-old daughter Helen (like Helen of Troy, get it?). There, he coincidentally comes across four ostraka that point him to the story of Psoas of Midea a.k.a. the title-giving son of nobody, a common Greek soldier. The ostraka were found at Hymettus, the very place where Harlow decided to become a classicist. Intrigued (and against the wishes of his supervisor), Harlow goes on to re-construct "The Psoad", the tale of Psoad's a life as sung by Thersites, who is the only commoner mentioned in The Iliad - and there are some important differences to the official version of the war as told by the powerful. As Harlow's grandfather, traumatized by World War II, told him when he was a child: "We are hiding places for monsters".
After the story is set-up in an introductory chapter, it is told in thirty fragments from "The Psoad", with Harlow's commentary pondering the text in comparison to the "Iliad" and historical knowledge, and intertwining it with his personal story, especially the domestic disputes with his wife. His research and explanations are fully addressed to his daughter Helen, she is the driving force behind the research of this small academic laboring in a colossal, historic library - or is it obsession itself? Is it distraction veiled as purpose? Martel does a great job painting a complex, haunted narrator, who knows about the fragility of human truths, and is in many ways connected to his research subject, Psoas, who joined a war to gain loot for his wife and children, sailing off to different shores.
I have to admit that at the beginning, I was struggling with the extensive explanations about history and myth, but once I got into the flow of the novel, it gained momentum. There's also more than one instance when the combination of the timelines feels overly forced and you see the twist in the contemporary timeline coming from a mile away, but this text is so insanely ambitious (feat. a truly absorbing epic poem!) that this doesn't matter all that much. Martel said in interviews that he was inspired by Waiting for Godot (the siege of Troy lasted ten years), but I don't feel this is showing much. Rather, I see why he also references All Quiet on the Western Front, in which we see young men's spirits broken by the vastness of human cruelty. But more than anything, I felt a kinship between the protagonist of At Night All Blood is Black and Psoas.
This is a very worthwhile read and Booker bait galore, and I'm excited to discuss this in comparison to Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" (Trailer), because I have a hunch that the book might make the movie epos appear like an outdated spectacle.
The novel's protagonist and narrator Harlow Donne, a PhD candidate who researches Homer at a small Canadian university, receives a scholarship for Oxford University and temporarily leaves behind his wife and nine-year-old daughter Helen (like Helen of Troy, get it?). There, he coincidentally comes across four ostraka that point him to the story of Psoas of Midea a.k.a. the title-giving son of nobody, a common Greek soldier. The ostraka were found at Hymettus, the very place where Harlow decided to become a classicist. Intrigued (and against the wishes of his supervisor), Harlow goes on to re-construct "The Psoad", the tale of Psoad's a life as sung by Thersites, who is the only commoner mentioned in The Iliad - and there are some important differences to the official version of the war as told by the powerful. As Harlow's grandfather, traumatized by World War II, told him when he was a child: "We are hiding places for monsters".
After the story is set-up in an introductory chapter, it is told in thirty fragments from "The Psoad", with Harlow's commentary pondering the text in comparison to the "Iliad" and historical knowledge, and intertwining it with his personal story, especially the domestic disputes with his wife. His research and explanations are fully addressed to his daughter Helen, she is the driving force behind the research of this small academic laboring in a colossal, historic library - or is it obsession itself? Is it distraction veiled as purpose? Martel does a great job painting a complex, haunted narrator, who knows about the fragility of human truths, and is in many ways connected to his research subject, Psoas, who joined a war to gain loot for his wife and children, sailing off to different shores.
I have to admit that at the beginning, I was struggling with the extensive explanations about history and myth, but once I got into the flow of the novel, it gained momentum. There's also more than one instance when the combination of the timelines feels overly forced and you see the twist in the contemporary timeline coming from a mile away, but this text is so insanely ambitious (feat. a truly absorbing epic poem!) that this doesn't matter all that much. Martel said in interviews that he was inspired by Waiting for Godot (the siege of Troy lasted ten years), but I don't feel this is showing much. Rather, I see why he also references All Quiet on the Western Front, in which we see young men's spirits broken by the vastness of human cruelty. But more than anything, I felt a kinship between the protagonist of At Night All Blood is Black and Psoas.
This is a very worthwhile read and Booker bait galore, and I'm excited to discuss this in comparison to Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" (Trailer), because I have a hunch that the book might make the movie epos appear like an outdated spectacle.
December 22, 2025
As a lover of Greek mythology, I was so excited to receive the ARC of Son of Nobody! This was truly an original novel, both in the structure and the alternative account of The Trojan War.
Rather than the increasingly common retellings, Martel imagines The Trojan War through the experience of a long forgotten soldier; he was no Agamemnon or Achilles, just a man fighting a decade long war away from home. Harlow, the academic that discovers his version of events, is also a long way from home at Oxford. Both men miss their wives and children, but remain dedicated to their cause, to their ultimate detriment.
Imaginative, emotional, and reflective - Son of Nobody is a book I will definitely be purchasing and recommending once it reaches shelves.
Rather than the increasingly common retellings, Martel imagines The Trojan War through the experience of a long forgotten soldier; he was no Agamemnon or Achilles, just a man fighting a decade long war away from home. Harlow, the academic that discovers his version of events, is also a long way from home at Oxford. Both men miss their wives and children, but remain dedicated to their cause, to their ultimate detriment.
Imaginative, emotional, and reflective - Son of Nobody is a book I will definitely be purchasing and recommending once it reaches shelves.
November 23, 2025
deeply sad meditation on grief and violence, beautiful stuff
March 4, 2026
Not only do you need to like mythology to like this book, you need to like a fictional character’s analysis of mythology. Turns out, I do like both of those things.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
this book is an epic on its own!
Harlow, a doctoral historian who's specializing in Homer and his epics gets a fully funded research program at Oxford finds out that there existed an epic, parallel to the Iliad, where the protagonist was a man named Psoas, a commoner, son of nobody. A nameless bard tails psoas as he rags over the trojan war. He narrates the story in its dynamics- the blood and sweat lingering in the papyrus.
as Harlow advances through the epic, he finds out uncanny resemblances in his own life. He, a husband and a father, leaving his family and travelling miles away. Psoas, a husband and father, walking into death with no regards. a man with no title, Harlow becomes Psoas.
a warrior and a scholar- two sides of a coin.
with each scroll of papyrus, each stroke of letter, Halow's conscience rushes back to memories, his family. his wife, his daughter. the marriage that's falling apart. the fatherhood that's too passive. When Psoas goes mad with vigor in the battlefield, Harlow goes mad with the numbness of his helplessness in the gothic oxford office. he yearns for his wife, his daughter. a man who's left with choices but too weak to make any.
son of nobody is a refreshing look onto the greek epics, where the heros and gods played roles, Matel made a commoner a character of strength and courage. people mocked Psoas for every inch he stepped onto the battlefield. for every word he uttered, they mocked and degraded him. Psoas contemplated the helplessness residing inside of him, battling strangers, killing the ones that had done no harm. pooling the blood of innocents, kids.
even the kids.
the invisible bard and his tale of Psoas of Midea, Son of Nobody, embarks the inner realms of the conscience of a common man in the battle field, the one's who were played puppets by the power. an epic, it stands as a testimony of the human nature.
too good to be fiction.
and the stark similarities of the epic to the life of Harlow, who sat in that dark room, his hands strolling through the brittle papyrus, as he watched his life falling apart like a shattered sand clock.
i want to talk more and more, but i'll end up spoiling it, and i dont want it.
if you like greek epics, if u r curious about human morality, you must read this!
Harlow, a doctoral historian who's specializing in Homer and his epics gets a fully funded research program at Oxford finds out that there existed an epic, parallel to the Iliad, where the protagonist was a man named Psoas, a commoner, son of nobody. A nameless bard tails psoas as he rags over the trojan war. He narrates the story in its dynamics- the blood and sweat lingering in the papyrus.
as Harlow advances through the epic, he finds out uncanny resemblances in his own life. He, a husband and a father, leaving his family and travelling miles away. Psoas, a husband and father, walking into death with no regards. a man with no title, Harlow becomes Psoas.
a warrior and a scholar- two sides of a coin.
with each scroll of papyrus, each stroke of letter, Halow's conscience rushes back to memories, his family. his wife, his daughter. the marriage that's falling apart. the fatherhood that's too passive. When Psoas goes mad with vigor in the battlefield, Harlow goes mad with the numbness of his helplessness in the gothic oxford office. he yearns for his wife, his daughter. a man who's left with choices but too weak to make any.
son of nobody is a refreshing look onto the greek epics, where the heros and gods played roles, Matel made a commoner a character of strength and courage. people mocked Psoas for every inch he stepped onto the battlefield. for every word he uttered, they mocked and degraded him. Psoas contemplated the helplessness residing inside of him, battling strangers, killing the ones that had done no harm. pooling the blood of innocents, kids.
even the kids.
the invisible bard and his tale of Psoas of Midea, Son of Nobody, embarks the inner realms of the conscience of a common man in the battle field, the one's who were played puppets by the power. an epic, it stands as a testimony of the human nature.
too good to be fiction.
and the stark similarities of the epic to the life of Harlow, who sat in that dark room, his hands strolling through the brittle papyrus, as he watched his life falling apart like a shattered sand clock.
i want to talk more and more, but i'll end up spoiling it, and i dont want it.
if you like greek epics, if u r curious about human morality, you must read this!
Read
February 10, 2026Thank you to NetGalley and Canongate Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review
A fascinating tragic dual timeline story of all consuming passion and loss. I was curious and a little confused for the first half, enjoying the little snippets into Harlow's life but not really seeing where it was going. And then at the half way mark I suddenly understood the point and felt my heart breaking into tiny pieces for the rest of the novel. I've read the Odyssey (many years ago now) and having a general knowledge I would almost say is essential for enjoying this because it's brimming with intertextuality and a richness of history mirrored into Harlow's present day.
A gem of a book although I will say that putting all the effort into reading 'translated' ancient greek poetry does not have as much pay off as reading the real thing, as cool as the concept is
A fascinating tragic dual timeline story of all consuming passion and loss. I was curious and a little confused for the first half, enjoying the little snippets into Harlow's life but not really seeing where it was going. And then at the half way mark I suddenly understood the point and felt my heart breaking into tiny pieces for the rest of the novel. I've read the Odyssey (many years ago now) and having a general knowledge I would almost say is essential for enjoying this because it's brimming with intertextuality and a richness of history mirrored into Harlow's present day.
A gem of a book although I will say that putting all the effort into reading 'translated' ancient greek poetry does not have as much pay off as reading the real thing, as cool as the concept is
March 19, 2026
4.5 stars
lucky enough to get this early
smartly formatted
creation of his own ancient greek epic like what
you can’t help but root for the protagonist
sad and real
lucky enough to get this early
smartly formatted
creation of his own ancient greek epic like what
you can’t help but root for the protagonist
sad and real
March 23, 2026
Review of advance audiobook copy received from Netgalley
3.5 stars
The present day and the Greek mythology timeline did not connect for me. They would probably be excellent books separately but together? Oh baby cakes.
I found present day man child insufferable. Please tell me more how you need to go far away to study about an unknown nameless man instead of being with your wife and child. Am I suppose to compare your struggle?! Absolutely not.
Greek mythology was interesting. Had this been the only story line I would have been intrigued. The modern story line threw me out every single time.
3.5 stars
The present day and the Greek mythology timeline did not connect for me. They would probably be excellent books separately but together? Oh baby cakes.
I found present day man child insufferable. Please tell me more how you need to go far away to study about an unknown nameless man instead of being with your wife and child. Am I suppose to compare your struggle?! Absolutely not.
Greek mythology was interesting. Had this been the only story line I would have been intrigued. The modern story line threw me out every single time.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This is a really interesting book - I've never read anything like it. It's a novel told in Homer-esque verses and footnotes, and the pages are divided in two, with the verses on top and the footnotes on the bottom. Our scholar MC, Harlow, discovers a new tale of the Trojan War, and his life sort of mirrors that of the subject of the new tale, Psoas. This is a great book for fans of Greek Mythology.
Read
February 5, 2026The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of Son of Nobody
‘Stunningly imagined.’ [starred review]
Kirkus
‘A beautiful story about what we can learn from the past when it comes to homesickness, grief, love and ambition.’
Elle Magazine
‘An astounding feat of literary imagination.’
The King’s English Bookshop
‘Another staggering and insightful novel of ideas.’
Y! Entertainment
‘Perfect for readers who love history, myth, and philosophical storytelling.’
Art+
‘Stunningly imagined.’ [starred review]
Kirkus
‘A beautiful story about what we can learn from the past when it comes to homesickness, grief, love and ambition.’
Elle Magazine
‘An astounding feat of literary imagination.’
The King’s English Bookshop
‘Another staggering and insightful novel of ideas.’
Y! Entertainment
‘Perfect for readers who love history, myth, and philosophical storytelling.’
Art+
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
⭐️ Son of Nobody by Yann Martel — 4/5
**Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC**
TLDR:
An inventive, footnote-driven novel that parallels a lost Greek epic with a modern academic’s life. Rich thematic commentary on class and heroism, but the MMC’s personal story and growth feel underdeveloped.
📖 Who Would Enjoy This Book
- Readers who love Greek mythology, particularly those interested in revisiting the broad plotlines and themes of The Iliad
- Readers who enjoy unconventional narrative structures, including stories told through footnotes
The structure of this book is immediately striking. Each page is split in two: the upper half contains a translation of the Psoad, while the lower half consists of footnotes—and it’s within these footnotes that the real story unfolds. I thought this was a clever reflection of the MMC, whose personality is rooted in pedantry and analysis. His dissection of the Psoad—a fictional poem lost to history—is meticulous and detail-oriented, while his reflections on his own life are rendered in broad strokes. Many of his interactions are presented purely as back-and-forth dialogue, with little description or summarization, which further emphasizes this imbalance.
What stood out most were the parallels drawn between the MMC and the Psoad. Much like the poem’s main character, Harlow is portrayed as a “son of nobody”—a man of modest means separated from his wife and child. The arrival of the Greek ships at Troy and the hardships endured by the soldiers mirror Harlow’s arrival in the UK and the difficulties of student life with minimal financial resources. The parallels extend further: Agamemnon and his daughter echo Harlow and his daughter, and even the timing of certain Psoad passages aligns meaningfully with Harlow’s narrative. For instance, the sections dealing with Hades coincide with a major event around the 75% mark of the book.
Thematically, I especially enjoyed the reflections on the socioeconomics of war. The idea that war functioned almost as a social interaction—with its own unspoken etiquette and scripted dialogue—took me by surprise. Even more startling was the notion that men of importance (kings, princes, heroes) only fought one another, while lower-class soldiers were left to battle their counterparts on the opposing side. It felt almost preposterous, yet deeply revealing. It has been a long time since I read The Iliad, and even then it was an abridged version, but this emphasis on social class—and the idea that heroism is reserved for those descended from gods or kings—really stuck with me. The choice to make the bard of the Psoad a commoner was particularly effective, as it shapes the language of the poem and allows the text to question the “truths” presented in The Iliad, making the story more engaging overall.
While I enjoyed the book, I found myself wishing there was more to Harlow’s personal story. At times, it felt like his arc could be summarized in just a couple of sentences, and I wanted more depth. There also didn’t seem to be much character growth: Harlow begins the novel with his head in the clouds, driven by whims and lacking clear priorities, and he ends it much the same way. I would have liked to see more self-reflection and accountability regarding his choices. The ending, too, felt somewhat unresolved, as though not everything was fully wrapped up.
We also don’t learn much about Helen. Beyond knowing that she enjoys stories and can be stubborn—as many children are—we don’t get a strong sense of her individuality. Her likes, dislikes, and eccentricities remain vague, leaving her feeling slightly mysterious, almost reminiscent of how Lemony Snicket refers to the elusive Beatrice in A Series of Unfortunate Events.
**Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC**
TLDR:
An inventive, footnote-driven novel that parallels a lost Greek epic with a modern academic’s life. Rich thematic commentary on class and heroism, but the MMC’s personal story and growth feel underdeveloped.
📖 Who Would Enjoy This Book
- Readers who love Greek mythology, particularly those interested in revisiting the broad plotlines and themes of The Iliad
- Readers who enjoy unconventional narrative structures, including stories told through footnotes
The structure of this book is immediately striking. Each page is split in two: the upper half contains a translation of the Psoad, while the lower half consists of footnotes—and it’s within these footnotes that the real story unfolds. I thought this was a clever reflection of the MMC, whose personality is rooted in pedantry and analysis. His dissection of the Psoad—a fictional poem lost to history—is meticulous and detail-oriented, while his reflections on his own life are rendered in broad strokes. Many of his interactions are presented purely as back-and-forth dialogue, with little description or summarization, which further emphasizes this imbalance.
What stood out most were the parallels drawn between the MMC and the Psoad. Much like the poem’s main character, Harlow is portrayed as a “son of nobody”—a man of modest means separated from his wife and child. The arrival of the Greek ships at Troy and the hardships endured by the soldiers mirror Harlow’s arrival in the UK and the difficulties of student life with minimal financial resources. The parallels extend further: Agamemnon and his daughter echo Harlow and his daughter, and even the timing of certain Psoad passages aligns meaningfully with Harlow’s narrative. For instance, the sections dealing with Hades coincide with a major event around the 75% mark of the book.
Thematically, I especially enjoyed the reflections on the socioeconomics of war. The idea that war functioned almost as a social interaction—with its own unspoken etiquette and scripted dialogue—took me by surprise. Even more startling was the notion that men of importance (kings, princes, heroes) only fought one another, while lower-class soldiers were left to battle their counterparts on the opposing side. It felt almost preposterous, yet deeply revealing. It has been a long time since I read The Iliad, and even then it was an abridged version, but this emphasis on social class—and the idea that heroism is reserved for those descended from gods or kings—really stuck with me. The choice to make the bard of the Psoad a commoner was particularly effective, as it shapes the language of the poem and allows the text to question the “truths” presented in The Iliad, making the story more engaging overall.
While I enjoyed the book, I found myself wishing there was more to Harlow’s personal story. At times, it felt like his arc could be summarized in just a couple of sentences, and I wanted more depth. There also didn’t seem to be much character growth: Harlow begins the novel with his head in the clouds, driven by whims and lacking clear priorities, and he ends it much the same way. I would have liked to see more self-reflection and accountability regarding his choices. The ending, too, felt somewhat unresolved, as though not everything was fully wrapped up.
We also don’t learn much about Helen. Beyond knowing that she enjoys stories and can be stubborn—as many children are—we don’t get a strong sense of her individuality. Her likes, dislikes, and eccentricities remain vague, leaving her feeling slightly mysterious, almost reminiscent of how Lemony Snicket refers to the elusive Beatrice in A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Yann Martel's first book in a decade, Son of Nobody follows a Canadian scholar discovering the Psoad, a free verse epic about a common soldier during the Trojan War (2026 is the year of Trojan War retellings!). Harlow Donne leaves his young daughter, Helen, and wife, Gail, to travel to Oxford, where he gets the opportunity to live and work for a year. It is here he finds the Psoad. The novel's structure is simple: part of the invented Psoad, written by Martel, of course, in free verse poetry, and then the subsequent annotations made by Donne. Very Pale Fire. Gradually, his personal life infringes on his footnotes more and more. His marriage is breaking at the seams and his daughter, Helen, is unwell. But he keeps on.
At first I found it light, fun and totally unbelievable. I guess we are reading Donne's 'translation' of the Psoad, but it felt so colloquial and contemporary that I never really believed I was reading a true lost epic from thirty centuries ago. Or at least, Martel didn't pull the wool over my eyes enough. I did not have my suspension of disbelief. As it went on, I also became more attuned to its superficiality. The elements of the epic poem were so clearly orchestrated to be parallels to the events in Donne's life that it lacked any kind of subtlety. Of course, the point of the novel was this very parallel/dual-narrative, but I felt Martel is too heavy-handed here. This is exemplified in the final third. And although I am not religious, the random attacks Martel/Donne makes on the Bible/Christianity/Jesus seem to be bolts from the blue. One minute he is discusses the Greek epic and the traditions of storytelling, and then he will switch it and say something along the lines of, 'And that is why we know the Bible is invented' (though admittedly, this time, with more subtlety than that - though not much!). It felt like halfway through the book Martel decided to also make this into an anti-church/anti-Christianity book. Very strange. Though the one comment he made that did stick to me was his concept of the Bible being an inverted version of The Iliad; he (Donne) argues that The Iliad, on the surface, is full of violence and war, but deep down is a poem about love and loyalty; conversely, he says, the Bible, on the surface, is all about love and loyalty, but deep down is a book with a rotten core of violence and war.
So, fun, but far more superficial than I was expecting. I recommend it, mostly because it kept my interest and I breezed through it, but I was hoping for something a little more substantial and thought-provoking. The ending damaged the book as a whole for me too. In the Guardian recently there was a review of the new Hamnet adaption, and the reviewer called it 'emotionally manipulative'. I've recounted this fact to two separate friends and they both said the exact same thing: 'Isn't that what art is?' I agreed with them. However, ironically, in this case, I would call Son of Nobody emotionally manipulative, or at least trying to be.
Thank you to Canongate for the advance copy for review.
At first I found it light, fun and totally unbelievable. I guess we are reading Donne's 'translation' of the Psoad, but it felt so colloquial and contemporary that I never really believed I was reading a true lost epic from thirty centuries ago. Or at least, Martel didn't pull the wool over my eyes enough. I did not have my suspension of disbelief. As it went on, I also became more attuned to its superficiality. The elements of the epic poem were so clearly orchestrated to be parallels to the events in Donne's life that it lacked any kind of subtlety. Of course, the point of the novel was this very parallel/dual-narrative, but I felt Martel is too heavy-handed here. This is exemplified in the final third. And although I am not religious, the random attacks Martel/Donne makes on the Bible/Christianity/Jesus seem to be bolts from the blue. One minute he is discusses the Greek epic and the traditions of storytelling, and then he will switch it and say something along the lines of, 'And that is why we know the Bible is invented' (though admittedly, this time, with more subtlety than that - though not much!). It felt like halfway through the book Martel decided to also make this into an anti-church/anti-Christianity book. Very strange. Though the one comment he made that did stick to me was his concept of the Bible being an inverted version of The Iliad; he (Donne) argues that The Iliad, on the surface, is full of violence and war, but deep down is a poem about love and loyalty; conversely, he says, the Bible, on the surface, is all about love and loyalty, but deep down is a book with a rotten core of violence and war.
So, fun, but far more superficial than I was expecting. I recommend it, mostly because it kept my interest and I breezed through it, but I was hoping for something a little more substantial and thought-provoking. The ending damaged the book as a whole for me too. In the Guardian recently there was a review of the new Hamnet adaption, and the reviewer called it 'emotionally manipulative'. I've recounted this fact to two separate friends and they both said the exact same thing: 'Isn't that what art is?' I agreed with them. However, ironically, in this case, I would call Son of Nobody emotionally manipulative, or at least trying to be.
Thank you to Canongate for the advance copy for review.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Reviewing ARC prior to publishing
Gorgeous prose creatively rendering fact and fiction. Should appeal to anyone with an interest in Greek mythology, archeological exploration of how myth is made, and .
On the surface, the novel presents beautiful lyric; of Olympian politics, the perennial pursuit of plunder, and one classicist's quixotic journey. Son of Nobody's morbid dramaturgy is mere stage dressing for the actual, compelling thrust of the novel: the ugly, pointless reality of war and "the flesh of death" itself. Martel provides the anti-war message that 2026 desperately demands, in a world-- like Psoas's world, like the narrator Harlow Donne's world-- where disinformation prevails. This novel is bleak. It conveys the irrelevance of truth in more ways than one.
I found myself desiring greater character development across the novel (from Donne, Psoas, or anyone), though perhaps I wanted upward development, growth.
Beyond that, "chicken-headed!" Inspired insult. Adding that to my arsenal.
Gorgeous prose creatively rendering fact and fiction. Should appeal to anyone with an interest in Greek mythology, archeological exploration of how myth is made, and .
On the surface, the novel presents beautiful lyric; of Olympian politics, the perennial pursuit of plunder, and one classicist's quixotic journey. Son of Nobody's morbid dramaturgy is mere stage dressing for the actual, compelling thrust of the novel: the ugly, pointless reality of war and "the flesh of death" itself. Martel provides the anti-war message that 2026 desperately demands, in a world-- like Psoas's world, like the narrator Harlow Donne's world-- where disinformation prevails. This novel is bleak. It conveys the irrelevance of truth in more ways than one.
I found myself desiring greater character development across the novel (from Donne, Psoas, or anyone), though perhaps I wanted upward development, growth.
Beyond that, "chicken-headed!" Inspired insult. Adding that to my arsenal.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Canadian author Yan Martell is best known for his 2002 Booker Prize winning novel Life of Pi. There is no comparison with his latest book Son of Nobody except to say that this may well also be in contention for literary awards, if only for its style and its ambition. Son of Nobody purports to be a lost version of the story of the Trojan War, complete with footnotes that also reflect on the life of the man who found its fragments, pulled them together and translated them.
Son of Nobody opens with Canadian academic Harlow Donne telling the story of a piece of broken Greek pottery on which he found a clue to an untold story of the Trojan War.
“From hints and scraps, mere hoary whispers from millennia ago, I managed to construct thirty coherent fragments of The Psoad…”
The story that Donne presents is that of Psoas Son of Nobody, who was one of the commoners that formed the Greek armies that besieged Troy. Donne finds these fragments while doing other research in Oxford, an academic posting that has taken him away from his wife Gail, with whom he has a particularly fractious relationship, and his seven-year-old daughter Helen. Through some of the more personal footnotes to The Psoad, readers will learn more about Donne’s relationship, his family and some of his poorer decision-making as he goes down the rabbit-hole of his research.
The book is presented in two halves. On the top half of the pages is The Psoad, a more grounded version of The Iliad with less nobles and gods (although some of the Greek generals come and go from the story and Hades does make an appearance towards the end), translated in blank verse. On the bottom halves of the pages are the footnotes, some of which are academic and explanatory of the text, others are used by Donne to reflect on his life. This is particularly as even he sees the parallels between his own journey and exploits and that of his hero Psoas – a man who leaves his family to go to earn money and honour on the battlefield.
Son of Nobody is a prodigious work that manages to operate on a number of levels. It has a fictional yet believable Greek epic poem, supported by scholarly interpretation, that gives a very different but in some ways more believable view into a famous story. It then resonates with the personal and emotional journey of its translator which itself has elements of Greek tragedy.
There are plenty of retellings of Greek mythology doing the rounds at the moment. Pat Barker’s incredible Women of Troy trilogy of books focussing on the women who were central to the conflict and its aftermath. Mark Haddon also jumps through time and literary interpretation in his exploration of the story of Pericles in The Porpoise. But Son of Nobody is even more ambitious than these retellings. Martell successfully puts himself in the shoes of a Greek storyteller while also drawing parallels across time to deliver a deeply erudite and resonant work of fiction.
Son of Nobody opens with Canadian academic Harlow Donne telling the story of a piece of broken Greek pottery on which he found a clue to an untold story of the Trojan War.
“From hints and scraps, mere hoary whispers from millennia ago, I managed to construct thirty coherent fragments of The Psoad…”
The story that Donne presents is that of Psoas Son of Nobody, who was one of the commoners that formed the Greek armies that besieged Troy. Donne finds these fragments while doing other research in Oxford, an academic posting that has taken him away from his wife Gail, with whom he has a particularly fractious relationship, and his seven-year-old daughter Helen. Through some of the more personal footnotes to The Psoad, readers will learn more about Donne’s relationship, his family and some of his poorer decision-making as he goes down the rabbit-hole of his research.
The book is presented in two halves. On the top half of the pages is The Psoad, a more grounded version of The Iliad with less nobles and gods (although some of the Greek generals come and go from the story and Hades does make an appearance towards the end), translated in blank verse. On the bottom halves of the pages are the footnotes, some of which are academic and explanatory of the text, others are used by Donne to reflect on his life. This is particularly as even he sees the parallels between his own journey and exploits and that of his hero Psoas – a man who leaves his family to go to earn money and honour on the battlefield.
Son of Nobody is a prodigious work that manages to operate on a number of levels. It has a fictional yet believable Greek epic poem, supported by scholarly interpretation, that gives a very different but in some ways more believable view into a famous story. It then resonates with the personal and emotional journey of its translator which itself has elements of Greek tragedy.
There are plenty of retellings of Greek mythology doing the rounds at the moment. Pat Barker’s incredible Women of Troy trilogy of books focussing on the women who were central to the conflict and its aftermath. Mark Haddon also jumps through time and literary interpretation in his exploration of the story of Pericles in The Porpoise. But Son of Nobody is even more ambitious than these retellings. Martell successfully puts himself in the shoes of a Greek storyteller while also drawing parallels across time to deliver a deeply erudite and resonant work of fiction.
Review of advance copy
The gods know I went back and forth on whether or not I wanted to read this. Life of Pi remains one of my least favorite books that was critically acclaimed by virtually everyone. I was so angry at Yann Martel for that book that I couldn’t even write a review. But it has been a long time, and the boldly nutso idea of Son of Nobody being a book-within-a-book retelling of the Trojan War lured me in. I’m not sure if I hoped the author would fail or succeed.
The book is good. Very good, darn it. Parts of it are surprisingly funny given the storyline. Homer would be proud.
Son of Nobody is about an academic from Canada who gets the chance to study one of his favorite subjects — the wild and crazy Greek myths— at Oxford and leaves a wife and daughter at home for the semester to do so with hopes to further some research and make a name/career for himself and his family. He finds an unknown account of the Trojan War that follows a poor peasant who left his wife and children to be a soldier in hopes of securing some loot and making a name for himself and his family. We as readers get to follow the parallel stories of each man, just along for the ride watching a show we aren’t sure will end well.
Life always imitates art. And fact or fiction, reality or myth, there’s nothing new under the sun. History repeats itself constantly even if my problems and circumstances seem painfully unique to me alone. The decisions each character makes are not the point of the stories; those could be debated ad nauseam. The point is that the stories are mirrored, and that nothing good happens when each man continues along his path in a single-minded fixation, not caring who is behind or beside him in battle but striking straight ahead. Is it strategy? Is it madness? Does it matter? Because things end in devastation either way, and not just for themselves.
Also, I guess Hades is a gym bro. Who knew? 4.75 stars, darn it.
*Note on the audiobook: The production quality is great and the two narrators are excellent. Great job casting the two guys; I had a giggle at the “he had a deep voice” line.
Thanks to W. W. Norton & Company, Yann Martel (author), and Edelweiss for providing an advance digital review copy; and to RB Media and Netgalley for an advance listening copy (narrated by Robin Wilcock and Aaron Willis). Their generosity did not influence my review in any way.
The book is good. Very good, darn it. Parts of it are surprisingly funny given the storyline. Homer would be proud.
Son of Nobody is about an academic from Canada who gets the chance to study one of his favorite subjects — the wild and crazy Greek myths— at Oxford and leaves a wife and daughter at home for the semester to do so with hopes to further some research and make a name/career for himself and his family. He finds an unknown account of the Trojan War that follows a poor peasant who left his wife and children to be a soldier in hopes of securing some loot and making a name for himself and his family. We as readers get to follow the parallel stories of each man, just along for the ride watching a show we aren’t sure will end well.
Life always imitates art. And fact or fiction, reality or myth, there’s nothing new under the sun. History repeats itself constantly even if my problems and circumstances seem painfully unique to me alone. The decisions each character makes are not the point of the stories; those could be debated ad nauseam. The point is that the stories are mirrored, and that nothing good happens when each man continues along his path in a single-minded fixation, not caring who is behind or beside him in battle but striking straight ahead. Is it strategy? Is it madness? Does it matter? Because things end in devastation either way, and not just for themselves.
Also, I guess Hades is a gym bro. Who knew? 4.75 stars, darn it.
*Note on the audiobook: The production quality is great and the two narrators are excellent. Great job casting the two guys; I had a giggle at the “he had a deep voice” line.
Thanks to W. W. Norton & Company, Yann Martel (author), and Edelweiss for providing an advance digital review copy; and to RB Media and Netgalley for an advance listening copy (narrated by Robin Wilcock and Aaron Willis). Their generosity did not influence my review in any way.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I liked this book, but I didn’t love it.
The novel retells the story of the Trojan War in an epic poem, The Psoad, composed by Martel in free verse through the eyes of Psoas, the son of a goatherd who leaves his wife and family to fight at Troy. It’s inspired by Homer’s Iliad but gives voice to the ‘son of a nobody’ of the title, unlike the Iliad where only the gods, kings and princes are given a voice. The poem has been lost for centuries and is rediscovered in fragments three thousand years later by a Canadian academic, Harlow Donne, who has come to study at Oxford, leaving his own wife and daughter behind in Canada, and pieces together the poem. We learn snippets about Harlow’s life through the footnotes he writes to the poem, which also form an academic commentary on the work. The poem and its commentary is set out in an academic treatise written by Harlow which is addressed to Harlow’s daughter, the aptly named Helen, after Helen of Troy.
I enjoyed:
• Martel’s feat of imagination in recreating an epic poem about the Trojan war;
• the way in which Martel’s book communicates with the Iliad over the centuries, but casting it a new light by giving us the perspective of an ordinary soldier;
• that it was formally experimental and structurally challenging; and
• the academic Oxford setting and the focus on Greek literature.
I struggled with:
• the format of the ARC which doesn’t have the footnotes on the same page as the text to which it relates: I’d like to read the book again in the published format;
• a lack of character development of Harlow and the rather sketchy portrayal of his wife and daughter. Even though I studied Ancient Greek at school and Ancient and Modern History at Oxford and found the subject matter and setting fascinating, I thought the academic commentary overpowered Harlow’s own story and I would have enjoyed more focus on his family life and his interaction and culture clashes with the other academics; and
• the parallels between events in Harlow’s own life and events in The Psoad are perhaps a little heavy handed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Canongate Books for an ARC.
#yannmartel #literaryfiction #sonofnobody
The novel retells the story of the Trojan War in an epic poem, The Psoad, composed by Martel in free verse through the eyes of Psoas, the son of a goatherd who leaves his wife and family to fight at Troy. It’s inspired by Homer’s Iliad but gives voice to the ‘son of a nobody’ of the title, unlike the Iliad where only the gods, kings and princes are given a voice. The poem has been lost for centuries and is rediscovered in fragments three thousand years later by a Canadian academic, Harlow Donne, who has come to study at Oxford, leaving his own wife and daughter behind in Canada, and pieces together the poem. We learn snippets about Harlow’s life through the footnotes he writes to the poem, which also form an academic commentary on the work. The poem and its commentary is set out in an academic treatise written by Harlow which is addressed to Harlow’s daughter, the aptly named Helen, after Helen of Troy.
I enjoyed:
• Martel’s feat of imagination in recreating an epic poem about the Trojan war;
• the way in which Martel’s book communicates with the Iliad over the centuries, but casting it a new light by giving us the perspective of an ordinary soldier;
• that it was formally experimental and structurally challenging; and
• the academic Oxford setting and the focus on Greek literature.
I struggled with:
• the format of the ARC which doesn’t have the footnotes on the same page as the text to which it relates: I’d like to read the book again in the published format;
• a lack of character development of Harlow and the rather sketchy portrayal of his wife and daughter. Even though I studied Ancient Greek at school and Ancient and Modern History at Oxford and found the subject matter and setting fascinating, I thought the academic commentary overpowered Harlow’s own story and I would have enjoyed more focus on his family life and his interaction and culture clashes with the other academics; and
• the parallels between events in Harlow’s own life and events in The Psoad are perhaps a little heavy handed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Canongate Books for an ARC.
#yannmartel #literaryfiction #sonofnobody
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I haven't read any Yann Marten since Life of Pi as a new young immigrant in high school, and it was profoundly formative for me. So I couldn't have been more thrilled to receive the rare Netgalley blessing of both an advance ebook and audiobook copy of this book. I was a little skeptical at first of two narrative elements that I tire of these days: parallel historical and first person narratives in conversation with each other, and well, war, even epic fictional ones. However, trust Martel to find the right alchemy to keep me transfixed to his masterful storytelling that is simultaneously a commentary on the cost of war and the grief of losing that which you neglected for your lofty aspirations. What hooked me in at first was obviously the cool nerdy bit about uncovering a whole new Greek epic that seems to tell the story of the Trojan war from the POV of a common soldier, pieced together by a scholar who leaves his wife and child to pursue this research. The story that unfolds is not just the new tradition of the Psoad, but what is pieced together in the "footnotes", a narrative tool used not pretentiously for once by a literary fic author (ahem, George Saunders). This is all so deliciously meta yet not inaccessible. There is so much heartbreak and pain and loss in both stories, the worst of human hubris and flaws on display and in control, and yet also such wonder at the shared humanity across time, space and battlefields. The Psoad itself, as it unfolds, gives you a startlingly relevant perspective on such a foundational epic that questions the centuries old beliefs rooted in patriarchal greed and erasure of human context. No heroes or villains in war, only wasted flesh enough to make Hades weep. Utterly beautiful and masterfully tight, definitely one of my top reads of the year. The audiobook narration was also cast and performed perfectly, something that is crucial in Greek oral tradition, distinguishing between the narrative voice of the Psoadic bard and the scholar uncovering and annotating it in the depths of Oxford. This could've been bleak but turned out to be gently introspective. Bravo.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A beautifully written, thought-provoking exploration of past and present. Publish date: March 31, 2026.
This contemporary literary fiction novel is a richly layered and intellectually engaging read that weaves together the modern world with the retelling of a Greek epic of the Trojan War. Alternating between present day and antiquity, the narrative is structured in a unique and deliberate way that allows the author to draw compelling parallels between then and now.
The story unfolds through Harlow Donne, a doctoral candidate who uncovers a lost Greek epic told in the first person by Theraites. Unlike traditional epics that center on gods or the ruling elite, this tale focuses on Psoas, a common man, offering a fresh and human perspective on familiar mythic themes. As Harlow pursues an opportunity to further his research at Oxford, his academic ambition comes at a personal cost, forcing him to leave his wife and young daughter behind in Canada.
Once Harlow discovers ‘The Psoad’, he begins piecing it together while addressing his daughter—and, by extension, the reader—directly in a reflective second-person narrative. Through this lens, he explores the idea that “the past is never done with,” emphasizing the cycles, repetitions, and enduring truths found in stories like ‘The Iliad’, ‘Gilgamesh’, and the ‘Gospels’. The novel thoughtfully examines what has remained unchanged across centuries.
Themes of war, grief, relationships, and the personal cost of conflict are explored not through heroes or gods, but through the lives of ordinary people. As tragedy strikes, Harlow continues working, mirroring Psoas’s own choices—decisions that ultimately come at a steep emotional price.
This is a novel that rewards patient, reflective reading and lingers in your thoughts long after the final page.
Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the free digital Advance Reader Copy. All opinions are my own and based on the advanced copy, which may differ from the final published version.
This contemporary literary fiction novel is a richly layered and intellectually engaging read that weaves together the modern world with the retelling of a Greek epic of the Trojan War. Alternating between present day and antiquity, the narrative is structured in a unique and deliberate way that allows the author to draw compelling parallels between then and now.
The story unfolds through Harlow Donne, a doctoral candidate who uncovers a lost Greek epic told in the first person by Theraites. Unlike traditional epics that center on gods or the ruling elite, this tale focuses on Psoas, a common man, offering a fresh and human perspective on familiar mythic themes. As Harlow pursues an opportunity to further his research at Oxford, his academic ambition comes at a personal cost, forcing him to leave his wife and young daughter behind in Canada.
Once Harlow discovers ‘The Psoad’, he begins piecing it together while addressing his daughter—and, by extension, the reader—directly in a reflective second-person narrative. Through this lens, he explores the idea that “the past is never done with,” emphasizing the cycles, repetitions, and enduring truths found in stories like ‘The Iliad’, ‘Gilgamesh’, and the ‘Gospels’. The novel thoughtfully examines what has remained unchanged across centuries.
Themes of war, grief, relationships, and the personal cost of conflict are explored not through heroes or gods, but through the lives of ordinary people. As tragedy strikes, Harlow continues working, mirroring Psoas’s own choices—decisions that ultimately come at a steep emotional price.
This is a novel that rewards patient, reflective reading and lingers in your thoughts long after the final page.
Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the free digital Advance Reader Copy. All opinions are my own and based on the advanced copy, which may differ from the final published version.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I wrestled with myself reading this book. It was a love-hate relationship often as I grappled with its structure and the retelling of The Iliad (I think it’s all those names I can’t pronounce) and with a character who refused to put fatherhood before scholarship. But by the end I grew to understand the profoundness of the story and appreciate that what you think should be a certain way, doesn’t have to be!
First the structure is the most unique I’ve ever seen. While it’s a story within a story as the author rewrites The Iliad from the perspective of a “nobody,” Psoad, it’s also a story of a scholar, Harlow Donne, as he studies a newly discovered Greek text of this Greek “nobody.” But these are then “divided” by a line as you would find in a history or nonfiction book where footnotes appear. Donne’s story is a “footnote” but is it? Take your time reading each. The poem is rather beautiful but the footnotes are the “meat” of the matter.
Both Donne and Psoad are nobodies. But while society may want to disregard nobodies, they are the predominant figures in it. That Psoad would dare to speak to or take on a person of vaulted stature in Greek society would be reprehensible as would Donne in disregarding the instructions of the Oxford Don, Cubitt, overseeing his sabbatical. This is the crux of the story I think. In the footnote sections, we learn of how both do this and what happens when they disregard the order of things.
Donne’s story is a study in scholarly concupiscence - what is more important: family or job/career? A tragic event brings this question to the fore. While Donne has a deep love for his family (he’s in England and they are in Canada), his choices in regard to them are shallow even though he tries to rationalize his work as a paean to his child. As to Psoad, he shows the same kind of stupidity but his story also represents how time doesn’t change much: nobodies and somebodies haven’t changed much through time.
Finally I was intrigued by the comparison at times in the footnotes between Psoad’s story and Jesus. Jesus came for the common man, which Psoad represents in his “nobodynness”. Our human vanity gets in the way of appreciating that we can be nobody and still be relevant.
Definitely this book is a deep story of “life, death,” grief and how our vanity gets in the way of honesty and meaning.
Thank you NetGalley and Norton for allowing me to read this ARC.
First the structure is the most unique I’ve ever seen. While it’s a story within a story as the author rewrites The Iliad from the perspective of a “nobody,” Psoad, it’s also a story of a scholar, Harlow Donne, as he studies a newly discovered Greek text of this Greek “nobody.” But these are then “divided” by a line as you would find in a history or nonfiction book where footnotes appear. Donne’s story is a “footnote” but is it? Take your time reading each. The poem is rather beautiful but the footnotes are the “meat” of the matter.
Both Donne and Psoad are nobodies. But while society may want to disregard nobodies, they are the predominant figures in it. That Psoad would dare to speak to or take on a person of vaulted stature in Greek society would be reprehensible as would Donne in disregarding the instructions of the Oxford Don, Cubitt, overseeing his sabbatical. This is the crux of the story I think. In the footnote sections, we learn of how both do this and what happens when they disregard the order of things.
Donne’s story is a study in scholarly concupiscence - what is more important: family or job/career? A tragic event brings this question to the fore. While Donne has a deep love for his family (he’s in England and they are in Canada), his choices in regard to them are shallow even though he tries to rationalize his work as a paean to his child. As to Psoad, he shows the same kind of stupidity but his story also represents how time doesn’t change much: nobodies and somebodies haven’t changed much through time.
Finally I was intrigued by the comparison at times in the footnotes between Psoad’s story and Jesus. Jesus came for the common man, which Psoad represents in his “nobodynness”. Our human vanity gets in the way of appreciating that we can be nobody and still be relevant.
Definitely this book is a deep story of “life, death,” grief and how our vanity gets in the way of honesty and meaning.
Thank you NetGalley and Norton for allowing me to read this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Yann Martel's Son of Nobody is a book I anticipated eagerly, based on how much I enjoyed reading Life of Pi. Having read Son of Nobody, I'm left a bit muddled about how to capture my thoughts. On one hand, there is a brilliance to the book and the feeling of watching the careening, chaotic crash of an intelligent man's life is weirdly visceral. I say weirdly because a part of the reading experience is the somewhat rambling telling of a companion story to The Iliad that threatened to put me to sleep a number of times. I fear I'm not as captivated by mythology as I was as a child, so this is really my issue.
The protagonist, Harlow Donne, is a classics scholar in Canada. He jumps at an opportunity to leave his home to continue his research at Oxford, studying fragments of ancient papyri to piece together a previously undiscovered epic poem and complete his doctoral research. This means leaving behind his wife, Gail, and daughter, Helen, after his wife refuses to uproot their lives to join Harlow in England. As he pieces together and relates the epic of "Psoas" fragments and parallels to his own life and modern life, generally, become clear. While it's brilliant, it can feel a bit disjointed. I preferred the story line that tells of Harlow's life, his relationship with his cherished Helen, and his fraught relationship with Gail. I would have enjoyed more of that.
Despite this, I found myself highlighting many passages that seemed like perfect nuggets of a delicious word salad. I also ached reading the descriptions of isolation, bewilderment, and grief, and how similarly humans react to these emotions. The events of The Psoad, written years before the common era, parallel Harlow's life, taking place in the early 21st century.
For me, the story and the reading experience are a 3.5 but the quality of the writing makes me round up to a 4. I am appreciative of W.W. Norton & Company and NetGalley sharing an eARC of Son of Nobody with me. All opinions are wholly my own.
The protagonist, Harlow Donne, is a classics scholar in Canada. He jumps at an opportunity to leave his home to continue his research at Oxford, studying fragments of ancient papyri to piece together a previously undiscovered epic poem and complete his doctoral research. This means leaving behind his wife, Gail, and daughter, Helen, after his wife refuses to uproot their lives to join Harlow in England. As he pieces together and relates the epic of "Psoas" fragments and parallels to his own life and modern life, generally, become clear. While it's brilliant, it can feel a bit disjointed. I preferred the story line that tells of Harlow's life, his relationship with his cherished Helen, and his fraught relationship with Gail. I would have enjoyed more of that.
Despite this, I found myself highlighting many passages that seemed like perfect nuggets of a delicious word salad. I also ached reading the descriptions of isolation, bewilderment, and grief, and how similarly humans react to these emotions. The events of The Psoad, written years before the common era, parallel Harlow's life, taking place in the early 21st century.
For me, the story and the reading experience are a 3.5 but the quality of the writing makes me round up to a 4. I am appreciative of W.W. Norton & Company and NetGalley sharing an eARC of Son of Nobody with me. All opinions are wholly my own.
March 22, 2026
Yann Martel takes one of the most iconic war stories ever told and flips the lens—away from heroes and gods, and onto someone history forgot. Enter Psoas, the “son of nobody,” an ordinary man surviving the chaos of Troy. And somehow, his story feels more urgent, more human, more real than any legend carved in marble.
But this isn’t just one story—it’s layered. A scholar, Harlow Donne, uncovers fragments of this lost narrative and becomes consumed by it, drifting away from his own life in the process. What unfolds is a novel that moves between ancient verse and modern reflection, separated like a translated manuscript—poetry above, commentary below. It’s part epic, part academic obsession, part quiet unraveling.
And wow—it works.
The sections of the Psoad (this “lost” epic) read like something excavated from time itself, yet they feel shockingly contemporary. War isn’t glorified here—it’s stripped down to fear, futility, and survival. Meanwhile, the footnotes blur the line between scholarship and confession, as Harlow’s personal life starts echoing the very themes he’s studying: distance, longing, sacrifice.
What hit hardest? The way this book interrogates the stories we inherit. Who gets remembered? Who gets erased? And what does that say about us? Martel doesn’t just revisit myth—he challenges it, pulling apart the old frameworks shaped by power, ego, and tradition, and replacing them with something more intimate, more honest.
There’s grief here. There’s quiet devastation. But there’s also a deep sense of connection—across centuries, across texts, across lives.
And the writing? Precise, luminous, and deeply intentional. Martel is in full command of his craft, weaving together Greek mythology, biblical undertones, and literary analysis into something that feels both intellectual and deeply emotional.
If you love literary fiction that does something bold—that questions the very nature of storytelling while still delivering a gripping, human narrative—this is it.
But this isn’t just one story—it’s layered. A scholar, Harlow Donne, uncovers fragments of this lost narrative and becomes consumed by it, drifting away from his own life in the process. What unfolds is a novel that moves between ancient verse and modern reflection, separated like a translated manuscript—poetry above, commentary below. It’s part epic, part academic obsession, part quiet unraveling.
And wow—it works.
The sections of the Psoad (this “lost” epic) read like something excavated from time itself, yet they feel shockingly contemporary. War isn’t glorified here—it’s stripped down to fear, futility, and survival. Meanwhile, the footnotes blur the line between scholarship and confession, as Harlow’s personal life starts echoing the very themes he’s studying: distance, longing, sacrifice.
What hit hardest? The way this book interrogates the stories we inherit. Who gets remembered? Who gets erased? And what does that say about us? Martel doesn’t just revisit myth—he challenges it, pulling apart the old frameworks shaped by power, ego, and tradition, and replacing them with something more intimate, more honest.
There’s grief here. There’s quiet devastation. But there’s also a deep sense of connection—across centuries, across texts, across lives.
And the writing? Precise, luminous, and deeply intentional. Martel is in full command of his craft, weaving together Greek mythology, biblical undertones, and literary analysis into something that feels both intellectual and deeply emotional.
If you love literary fiction that does something bold—that questions the very nature of storytelling while still delivering a gripping, human narrative—this is it.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Unsurprisingly, Yann Martel brings us another thought-provoking and elegantly written novel that invites readers to stew in their own ambiguity. Readers who appreciate unconventional narrative structures and Greek mythological retellings will find much to admire here.
Son of Nobody tells the intertwined stories of two fallible nobodies and the far-reaching consequences of their choices. The first narrative reimagines the Trojan War through the story of Psoas, a commoner, rendered in first person verse by an invisible narrator. The second follows Harlow, an ambitious classicist who uncovers Psoas’s story while working on his doctoral thesis. Harlow’s narrative unfolds in academic footnotes written in the second person and addressed to his daughter, Helen, which is somehow both intimate and distancing (ohhh, I get it).
The two stories mirror one another, exploring the sacrifices of ordinary men who believe themselves well-intentioned, yet fail to foresee the costs of their ambition. There are themes of misplaced aspiration, duty, grief, homesickness, and the quiet devastation that can follow even earnest decisions. The parallel structure, while occasionally heavy-handed, volleyed nicely and landed for me in the end.
Life of Pi was life-changing for me when I read it as a kid. This didn’t quite stack up to that, but it did still spark some existential pondery (but without the hope and all the cool shit). Ultimately, I found this to be a challenging but rewarding read. Its structure could easily have felt pompous or inaccessible, but Martel renders it surprisingly legible and, for me, a refreshing change. In true Life of Pi fashion, he leaves readers contemplating life’s meaning and death’s meaning for the living.
Thank you to W.W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Son of Nobody tells the intertwined stories of two fallible nobodies and the far-reaching consequences of their choices. The first narrative reimagines the Trojan War through the story of Psoas, a commoner, rendered in first person verse by an invisible narrator. The second follows Harlow, an ambitious classicist who uncovers Psoas’s story while working on his doctoral thesis. Harlow’s narrative unfolds in academic footnotes written in the second person and addressed to his daughter, Helen, which is somehow both intimate and distancing (ohhh, I get it).
The two stories mirror one another, exploring the sacrifices of ordinary men who believe themselves well-intentioned, yet fail to foresee the costs of their ambition. There are themes of misplaced aspiration, duty, grief, homesickness, and the quiet devastation that can follow even earnest decisions. The parallel structure, while occasionally heavy-handed, volleyed nicely and landed for me in the end.
Life of Pi was life-changing for me when I read it as a kid. This didn’t quite stack up to that, but it did still spark some existential pondery (but without the hope and all the cool shit). Ultimately, I found this to be a challenging but rewarding read. Its structure could easily have felt pompous or inaccessible, but Martel renders it surprisingly legible and, for me, a refreshing change. In true Life of Pi fashion, he leaves readers contemplating life’s meaning and death’s meaning for the living.
Thank you to W.W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
An accomplished, albeit frustrating, dual narrative
An academic on an overseas research project, away from his strained marriage and young daughter, discovers a lost epic of the Trojan War.
The story is presented in a unique dual narrative, framed like the protagonist has published the ancient epic poem -- which tells the tale of an unlikely commoner hero among the Greeks -- and is recounting his own memoir among the footnotes, frequently addressing his child directly.
I do believe it is an accomplishment of skill for Yann Martel (who authored the much-beloved Life of Pi) to so effectively present a story in this original manner. He's crafted a very convincing Greek epic and worked in a great deal of fictionalized academic work. For this reason, I'm rating it highly.
If only it had been a pleasure to read.
To be clear, it is not a difficult book to read. While it will likely appeal most to academics and literature nerds, you don't need much knowledge of The Iliad to understand and enjoy the Trojan War portions of the story. The footnotes do a great job of explaining what's happening in this portion of the narrative, what goes on in The Iliad, and other historical and mythological points.
My chief complaint is how supremely unlikeable the protagonist, our modern-day academic and translator, becomes. The ending is quite dissatisfying and I fear no growth has taken place.
3.5 stars rounded up
CW: lots of graphic violence and death, including death of children
Thank you to the publisher W. W. Norton & Company for my advance copy, provided in exchange for an honest review. This book publishes on March 31, 2026.
An academic on an overseas research project, away from his strained marriage and young daughter, discovers a lost epic of the Trojan War.
The story is presented in a unique dual narrative, framed like the protagonist has published the ancient epic poem -- which tells the tale of an unlikely commoner hero among the Greeks -- and is recounting his own memoir among the footnotes, frequently addressing his child directly.
I do believe it is an accomplishment of skill for Yann Martel (who authored the much-beloved Life of Pi) to so effectively present a story in this original manner. He's crafted a very convincing Greek epic and worked in a great deal of fictionalized academic work. For this reason, I'm rating it highly.
If only it had been a pleasure to read.
To be clear, it is not a difficult book to read. While it will likely appeal most to academics and literature nerds, you don't need much knowledge of The Iliad to understand and enjoy the Trojan War portions of the story. The footnotes do a great job of explaining what's happening in this portion of the narrative, what goes on in The Iliad, and other historical and mythological points.
My chief complaint is how supremely unlikeable the protagonist, our modern-day academic and translator, becomes. The ending is quite dissatisfying and I fear no growth has taken place.
3.5 stars rounded up
CW: lots of graphic violence and death, including death of children
Thank you to the publisher W. W. Norton & Company for my advance copy, provided in exchange for an honest review. This book publishes on March 31, 2026.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Son of Nobody is Yann Martel’s 2026 novel that interweaves two narratives: a modern scholar and an ancient Greek commoner. In the book, Harlow Donne, a Canadian classicist far from home on a fellowship at Oxford, discovers papyrus fragments of a previously unknown Trojan War epic which he names The Psoad. The poem follows Psoas of Midea — a goatherd’s son, literally a “son of nobody” — as he leaves his family to fight at Troy. While Donne translates and annotates the text, he reflects on his own life, his daughter and wife, and the resonances between past and present. The story explores how myth and history shape our understanding of ambition, love, loss and the human condition.
This is clearly a book with serious ambitions: Martel attempts to collapse classical myth, personal memoir and scholarly commentary into a single work. I respect that kind of literary risk-taking, and there are moments where the ancient verses and footnotes gesture at thoughtful themes. But for me, it never quite coalesced into a compelling read. The shifts between the reconstructed epic and the academic’s commentary often felt more like intellectual exercises than emotionally gripping storytelling.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Life of Pi either, and perhaps I simply need to accept that this is not an author for me. I don’t mind having to work at a book, and I’m perfectly happy to meet an author halfway, but this struck me as too much effort for the reward. There were ideas worth pondering, but the experience of reading it felt overly demanding relative to what I got out of it.
This is clearly a book with serious ambitions: Martel attempts to collapse classical myth, personal memoir and scholarly commentary into a single work. I respect that kind of literary risk-taking, and there are moments where the ancient verses and footnotes gesture at thoughtful themes. But for me, it never quite coalesced into a compelling read. The shifts between the reconstructed epic and the academic’s commentary often felt more like intellectual exercises than emotionally gripping storytelling.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Life of Pi either, and perhaps I simply need to accept that this is not an author for me. I don’t mind having to work at a book, and I’m perfectly happy to meet an author halfway, but this struck me as too much effort for the reward. There were ideas worth pondering, but the experience of reading it felt overly demanding relative to what I got out of it.
Review of advance copy
I got an advance copy of this through the library I work at (presumably from a package the publisher sent our collection development team).
Yann Martel has crafted a one-of-a-kind dual-layered retelling of the Iliad by rejecting the classic narrative; while Homer focuses on the glorious deeds of the heroes of the Trojan War, our PhD candidate narrator's reconstructed epic, the Psoad, focuses on the common men who joined the war, particularly its namesake, Psoas of Midea, a titular son of nobody. While Psoas and those of his station struggle on the plains of Troy, narrator Harlow Donne struggles with his own Trojan war, as he has been thrust from a small Canadian university to Oxford to research ancient texts, away from his wife and daughter (the latter of whom is named Helen, driving the parallels home all too clearly for Harlow).
Joyously for all the history and literature nerds, the novel is structured as one would structure a translation of an ancient text: the verses of the Psoad flow above the dividing line, and commentary (labeled by line quote and line number!) is related below it, alternating between scholarly writing and Harlow's ruminations on life an ocean away from his wife and daughter.
Ultimately, Son of Nobody is, like the Iliad, a meditation on violence and death, though Martel's version additionally focuses on grief much more than I recall Homer doing. This is the first 2026 release I've come across that I can honestly and enthusiastically say is a must-read, and I will be recommending it to everyone.
Yann Martel has crafted a one-of-a-kind dual-layered retelling of the Iliad by rejecting the classic narrative; while Homer focuses on the glorious deeds of the heroes of the Trojan War, our PhD candidate narrator's reconstructed epic, the Psoad, focuses on the common men who joined the war, particularly its namesake, Psoas of Midea, a titular son of nobody. While Psoas and those of his station struggle on the plains of Troy, narrator Harlow Donne struggles with his own Trojan war, as he has been thrust from a small Canadian university to Oxford to research ancient texts, away from his wife and daughter (the latter of whom is named Helen, driving the parallels home all too clearly for Harlow).
Joyously for all the history and literature nerds, the novel is structured as one would structure a translation of an ancient text: the verses of the Psoad flow above the dividing line, and commentary (labeled by line quote and line number!) is related below it, alternating between scholarly writing and Harlow's ruminations on life an ocean away from his wife and daughter.
Ultimately, Son of Nobody is, like the Iliad, a meditation on violence and death, though Martel's version additionally focuses on grief much more than I recall Homer doing. This is the first 2026 release I've come across that I can honestly and enthusiastically say is a must-read, and I will be recommending it to everyone.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Yann Martel has once again proven his obsession with how stories shape our reality. In Son of Nobody, he delivers a brilliant structural feat, weaving together an ancient epic text with a modern-day narrative centred on a man named Harlow.
The standout feature of this novel is its dual structure. Martel doesn’t just tell two stories; he creates a dialogue between the past and the present.
The Ancient Text: The classic text included here is breathtaking. It feels authentic, sprawling, and grand in the way only ancient myths do. Martel has done an incredible job at mimicking this. The Clever Parallels: I was impressed by the subtle echoes between the epic and Harlow’s ordinary life and how this becomes more visible and acute as the book goes on. Martel’s ability to find the “mythic” within the modern is as sharp as ever.
While I found myself racing through Harlow’s sections to get back to the classic text, that isn’t to say his story lacked weight, especially as we move through the book. Harlow’s grief is palpable. Martel captures the heavy, stagnant nature of loss with a raw honesty that feels very grounded compared to the soaring heights of the epic.
The ancient text often overshadowed the main story for me - I simply found it more immersive and richer than Harlow’s daily struggles. However, the interplay between the two is what makes the book special.
It’s a thoughtful exploration of how we use old stories to make sense of new pain.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
The standout feature of this novel is its dual structure. Martel doesn’t just tell two stories; he creates a dialogue between the past and the present.
The Ancient Text: The classic text included here is breathtaking. It feels authentic, sprawling, and grand in the way only ancient myths do. Martel has done an incredible job at mimicking this. The Clever Parallels: I was impressed by the subtle echoes between the epic and Harlow’s ordinary life and how this becomes more visible and acute as the book goes on. Martel’s ability to find the “mythic” within the modern is as sharp as ever.
While I found myself racing through Harlow’s sections to get back to the classic text, that isn’t to say his story lacked weight, especially as we move through the book. Harlow’s grief is palpable. Martel captures the heavy, stagnant nature of loss with a raw honesty that feels very grounded compared to the soaring heights of the epic.
The ancient text often overshadowed the main story for me - I simply found it more immersive and richer than Harlow’s daily struggles. However, the interplay between the two is what makes the book special.
It’s a thoughtful exploration of how we use old stories to make sense of new pain.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I’m not the biggest fan of the Greek epics and while I studied them in college I haven’t really spent much time thinking about them since - although as foundational to all Western thought they come up again and again.
This novel about an academic discovering a lost story related to the Trojan war was more interesting on the contemporary side of the story than the actual Greek tale he was retelling. For me, at least. At times I just wished the novel had been a more straightforward novel about the academic and his life, his family, his studies, his fate. I’m not sure I really needed the text of what he was discovering - or at least not in such detail. This isn’t the first novel I’ve read using this framing device of academic footnotes. I have never really loved it before, and I didn’t really love it here. It borders on a gimmick.
But what sets this apart is that Yann Martel is an exquisite writer. He doesn’t disappoint in that regard. And the greatest strength for me was pulling together the myths by which we Westerners make sense of the world, namely the myths of the Ancient Greeks and the myths of Christianity, the latter being derivative of the former. As a novel it is maybe so-so, but as a musing on grief, sources of knowledge, and the mental constructs we erect to explain our existence, it is really interesting and rewarding.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
This novel about an academic discovering a lost story related to the Trojan war was more interesting on the contemporary side of the story than the actual Greek tale he was retelling. For me, at least. At times I just wished the novel had been a more straightforward novel about the academic and his life, his family, his studies, his fate. I’m not sure I really needed the text of what he was discovering - or at least not in such detail. This isn’t the first novel I’ve read using this framing device of academic footnotes. I have never really loved it before, and I didn’t really love it here. It borders on a gimmick.
But what sets this apart is that Yann Martel is an exquisite writer. He doesn’t disappoint in that regard. And the greatest strength for me was pulling together the myths by which we Westerners make sense of the world, namely the myths of the Ancient Greeks and the myths of Christianity, the latter being derivative of the former. As a novel it is maybe so-so, but as a musing on grief, sources of knowledge, and the mental constructs we erect to explain our existence, it is really interesting and rewarding.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
February 8, 2026
An Ancient -vs- Modern Tragedy
I tend to gravitate toward richly textured narratives that weave historical fiction with family ties, personal experiences and multi/dual-timeline structures so this novel was a good fit. I also enjoy retellings and I do adore a good story involving the Greek Gods. The novel's blend of an ancient soldier's voice and a modern scholar's scholarly obsession offered a layered, and reflective story dealing with homesickness, regret, and the cost of preserving memories.
Its lyrical free-verse approach and the intimate footnote-like dialogue between past and present echoed contemplative, almost wistful tone while the focus on a commoner perspective adds a fresh angle to a well-trodden epic. If you're looking for a book that enter twines literary craft with a deep, bittersweet meditation on love and loss across centuries, this should be a strong match. Possible drawback is that its slower, more meditative pacing might be off putting and the structure of half pages can be distracting if not completely wasteful. I hope the author decides to publish this as an ebook only, its format being original but such a “Modern Tragedy” for its waste of our natural resources.
3.75 stars for me
Similar inventive formats would be George Saunders Lincoln In the Bardo.
Thank you BookBrowse and W.W. Norton publishers for this advanced copy in return for my honest review.
I tend to gravitate toward richly textured narratives that weave historical fiction with family ties, personal experiences and multi/dual-timeline structures so this novel was a good fit. I also enjoy retellings and I do adore a good story involving the Greek Gods. The novel's blend of an ancient soldier's voice and a modern scholar's scholarly obsession offered a layered, and reflective story dealing with homesickness, regret, and the cost of preserving memories.
Its lyrical free-verse approach and the intimate footnote-like dialogue between past and present echoed contemplative, almost wistful tone while the focus on a commoner perspective adds a fresh angle to a well-trodden epic. If you're looking for a book that enter twines literary craft with a deep, bittersweet meditation on love and loss across centuries, this should be a strong match. Possible drawback is that its slower, more meditative pacing might be off putting and the structure of half pages can be distracting if not completely wasteful. I hope the author decides to publish this as an ebook only, its format being original but such a “Modern Tragedy” for its waste of our natural resources.
3.75 stars for me
Similar inventive formats would be George Saunders Lincoln In the Bardo.
Thank you BookBrowse and W.W. Norton publishers for this advanced copy in return for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
In SON OF NOBODY, by Yann Martel, Harlow Donne is researching Homer at a small Canadian university when he receives a scholarship to Oxford University. Leaving his wife and daughter behind, he reconstructs the tale of Psoad’s life, as sung by Thersites, who is the only commoner mentioned in The Iliad. The main chapters are told in fragments from The Psoad, with Harlow's commentaries pondering the text, comparing it to the Iliad, and intertwining it with his personal story.
When I started reading the eBook, I was struggling with the explanations about myth and his personal story. Once I realized that in the actual book each page is split in two (the upper half is the translation of the Psoad, while the lower half consists of footnotes, and it is also where the real story unfolds, a separation that my electronic book did not show), it became easier to read. I will definitely check out the printed book; hopefully, it will be a lot easier to follow this way. Regardless of this, Martel does a great job of painting a complex, haunted narrator who understands the fragility of human truths. Overall, it is an imaginative, emotional, and reflective book.
Thank you to NetGalley and WW Norton & Company for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. And thanks to Yann Martel for another ambitious book; I very much enjoyed the story, a great book for fans of Greek Mythology!
When I started reading the eBook, I was struggling with the explanations about myth and his personal story. Once I realized that in the actual book each page is split in two (the upper half is the translation of the Psoad, while the lower half consists of footnotes, and it is also where the real story unfolds, a separation that my electronic book did not show), it became easier to read. I will definitely check out the printed book; hopefully, it will be a lot easier to follow this way. Regardless of this, Martel does a great job of painting a complex, haunted narrator who understands the fragility of human truths. Overall, it is an imaginative, emotional, and reflective book.
Thank you to NetGalley and WW Norton & Company for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. And thanks to Yann Martel for another ambitious book; I very much enjoyed the story, a great book for fans of Greek Mythology!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Canadian novelist Yann Martel returns after a 10 year with a new work, Son of Nobody, which has two strands at a play - that of Harlow Donne, a classicist who has discovered a new epic of the Trojan War and the other strand being his translation of that epic. Through footnotes to the poem, some of which are academic and some of which are personal, we slowly gain a sense of this man and begin to see ways in which this epic story of thousands of years before has mirrors in contemporary life. The footnotes become more urgent as the narrative continues and his daughter, whom lives with her mother, falls ill and Donne is left helpless, alone, witnessing another epic moment of life and it potential tragedies play out.
Son of Nobody will not be a novel for everyone, and those who know Martel only for Life of Pi, might find it difficult to connect with him here, and his intentions. However, if you commit to Martel's conceit, and also have a love for the epic poetry of days gone by, then Son of Nobody will certainly intrigue you, engage you, and leave you with much to ponder. I am certainly glad Martel has chosen to do something different - he could have rested on Pi's laurels - and we should champion fiction which attempts to do something different.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
Son of Nobody will not be a novel for everyone, and those who know Martel only for Life of Pi, might find it difficult to connect with him here, and his intentions. However, if you commit to Martel's conceit, and also have a love for the epic poetry of days gone by, then Son of Nobody will certainly intrigue you, engage you, and leave you with much to ponder. I am certainly glad Martel has chosen to do something different - he could have rested on Pi's laurels - and we should champion fiction which attempts to do something different.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
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