Katrina Leno (Summer of Salt) lyrically brings together the hallmarks of myth, gothic narratives, and the enduring bildungsroman of Little Women in Persephone's Curse, a retelling of the Persephone legend that takes place in a spellbound New York City.
The Farthing sisters are descendants of Persephone and know their lineage is a gift: Bernadette, the eldest, is a talented writer; Evelyn, the second eldest, is an excellent musician; Clara, the youngest, paints beautifully; and Winnie, the third, can see the ghosts of Farthing women. But all four sisters can see Henry, the ghost who lives in their Upper West Side brownstone. When Evelyn, now a junior in high school, falls in love with the perpetually 15-year-old Henry and seems to lose hope in the world, Winnie tries to help her sister. Instead, she accidentally banishes Henry. Evelyn, desperate to bring him back, disappears into one of Persephone's "fragile places in the earth." As in the myth, Evelyn travels to the Underworld. As in the myth, there are consequences.
Winnie's first-person narration is like an impressionist painting, slowly coming into focus. She describes the enchantment of New York, slowly revealing the depth of the mystical events that affect her family. The beauty of Leno's narrative is how the magic becomes the backdrop and the relationships between Farthing sisters become the foreground, their connections with one another allowing them to grow and learn through grief and joy. Fans of Greek myth, Charles de Lint's The Blue Girl, or authors like Louisa May Alcott are likely to find a new favorite in Persephone's Curse. --Michelle Anya Anjirbag, freelance reviewer