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A ” playful post-modernist puzzle” indeed ( quoted by The Telegraph) but one which left many of us irritated.  Perhaps if we had given up diligently trying to read it (a) to a deadline and (b) to make sense of it, we might have enjoyed the puzzle a little more.

Despite the story being a well-known path (Homer’s Iliad), Barker manages to create some dramatic tension from the get go, and conveys the sense of sisterhood behind the enslaved women, albeit with a caste system all too obvious. But by the end, why had she lost a few enthusiastic readers?

It prompted – as a non-fiction work always does – a really interesting discussion on many topics, including the role of government in enforcing health initiatives, the (unfortunate) power of big business and the need for  young adults to be aware of these issues – by perhaps reading this book!