THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERWINNER OF THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2024WINNER OF THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE FOR COMIC FICTION 2024WINNER OF THE AUTHORS CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARDWINNER OF THE PREMIO GREGOR VON REZZORISHORTLISTED FOR THE NERO AWARD FOR DEBUT FICTION 2024SHORTLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE JOHN MCGAHERN PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 DEBUT FICTIONA BBC RADIO 4 BOOK AT BEDTIMEA BBC2 BETWEEN THE COVERS PICKPICKED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN THE INDEPENDENT THE IRISH TIMES THE FINANCIAL TIMES AND THE TLSOne of the most original and brilliant debuts in years Irish TimesBold and totally unexpected I was hooked from the first page Douglas Stuart author of Shuggie BainBrilliant Hilarious moving and profound R F Kuang author of YellowfaceAncient Sicily Enter GELON visionary dreamer theatre lover Enter LAMPO lovesick jobless in need of a distractionImprisoned in the quarries of Syracuse thousands of defeated Athenians hang on by the thinnest of threadsTheyre fading in the baking heat but not everything is lost they can still recite lines from Greek tragedy when tempted by Lampo and Gelon with goatskins of wine and scraps of foodAnd so an idea is born Because after all you can hate the invaders but still love their poetryIts audacious It might even be dangerous But like all the best things in life love friendship art itself it will reveal...
