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.
"They say Persphone came to Manhattan before it was even Manhattan. That she planted a jasmine bush on a plot of bare land. They say her descendants would forever be drawn to it, like moths to a flame."
The Farthing sisters are descendants of Persephone: "the children of the in-between, one foot in this world and one foot in another." They know their lineage is a gift: brunette Bernadette, the eldest sister, is a talented writer; blonde Evelyn, the second eldest, is an excellent musician; blonde Clara, the youngest sister, paints beautiful works; and brunette Winnie, the third sister, can see the ghosts of Farthing women. But all four sisters can see Henry, the ghost who lives on the fourth floor of their Upper West Side brownstone. Henry, who appears to be about 15 years old, has played with each girl since she was a child and is an immutable part of the girls' life and home. When Evelyn, now a junior in high school, falls in love with Henry and seems to lose hope in the world, Winnie tries to save her sister's feelings but instead accidentally banishes Henry. Evelyn, desperate to bring him back, disappears herself, finding one of Persephone's "fragile places in the earth." As in the myth, Evelyn travels to the Underworld. And, like 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's parks, museums, and communities, slowly revealing the depth of the mystical events that affect her family. The beauty of Leno's narrative is in how the magic becomes the backdrop and the relationships between Farthing sisters become the foreground. While the sisters' special gifts may come from the Greek goddess of death, it is their connections with one another, and the kinship with their mother, their aunt, and their father that allow 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, Jane Austen, and Alice Hoffman are almost certain to find a new favorite in Persephone's Curse. --Michelle Anya Anjirbag, freelance reviewer
Shelf Talker: Katrina Leno infuses New York City with the chthonic energy of the underworld in a distinctive Persephone retelling featuring inspiration from Louisa May Alcott.