Pomegranates is a dystopian tale, where climate change is an all-too-real backdrop to the events of the novella. Persephone is in the Underworld, relating her family’s history to a human who’s found his way there. As events unfold, and we see the horror her anger has unleashed on the world, we’re drawn deeper and deeper into the heart of this amazing story. The author has drawn a vivid picture of the world’s decay set against the backdrop of the repercussions of a dysfunctional family. And what a family it is―the gods themselves, bringing destruction on us all.
Dark bleatings everyone! Next up for Novella November, I have to talk about this wonderful book – Pomegranates. Now, I won’t pretend that I know much about Greek mythology – in fact, the most I’ve ever delved into it was during my theatre course back when I was in college, and that was – oh dear lord – 20 years ago. I performed in a number of abridged Greek plays, always as part of the Chorus, and I remember being both pleased to be involved, and also quite confused about wtf was happening in the story. At that time, I was far more concerned with copying Avril Lavigne’s look whilst pretending that I absolutely wasn’t trying to look like her. However, buried deep in the layers of my subconscious, I did have happy memories of these performances, and Pomegranates brought them all back to the surface.
Whilst Sharma uses Greek myths and characters (Gods, no less!), she weaves her own tales out of them. What we essentially have is a story about the threat of the extinction of mankind, but it’s used sort of as a backdrop to the stories of Demeter and Persephone.
It’s extremely difficult to discuss this book much further than what the synopsis tells us, because discussing it in any detail – I feel – will ruin the mystique and serve up spoilers. But I will say this – Sharma is an absolutely beautiful writer. She writes with eloquence and artistry, but without pretension, and her storytelling is captivating. This story, to me, is an interweaving tale of unbridled rage, redemption, and most of all, family. Thematically, there’s a lot going on, but it’s never too much.
The other thing I love about it is its structure. We have chapters which are separated by whose narrative voice we’re following, and it also contains these lovely Chorus sections, which really took me back to my theatre days, and I appreciated the…. appreciation… that Sharma shows for the traditional telling of Greek stories.
Overall, a spectacularly gorgeous read, and one I’d recommend to fans of fantasy horror. If you’d like to check out the author or get your own copy, there are some links below for you:
Happy Goat Horror 
Leave a comment