The Hymn to Dionysus

/The Hymn to Dionysus is like no Dionysian myth I have come across before. For a god of wine and madness, a lord of misrule, this seems entirely appropriate.

The book often recalls The Bacchae, Euripides’ play about the coming of Dionysus to Thebes and the death of Pentheus, the proud prince of the city. Pulley’s Dionysus does indeed come to Thebes, and there is a proud prince, but there are far more shades to this story than to The Bacchae, details foreign to Euripides’ tale. Anyone looking for a simple retelling (or, for that matter, for a highly factual account of Ancient Greek life) may be left baffled by this book, but hopefully delightedly so.

I would be remiss not to also mention The Song of Achilles. As another queer novel inspired by Greek myth, many will invite the comparison. While the two share some similarities, Pulley’s novel has an overarching sense of dread which pervades it, and which makes it feel quite different.

I found the book fascinating and mythic, beautiful and deeply touching. It will appeal to many who enjoy reading Greek-inspired literature that approaches the old stories through a new lens.