Sparrow by James Hynes
Sparrow by James Hynes is an intriguing read.
Hynes sets his novel during the days of the Roman Empire, when life was hard and difficult for many. Sparrow is one of many names for a young boy slave who is being raised in a brothel by other slaves and by the ladies who live upstairs, who are known as “wolves.”
The novel is deeply immersive, and the character of Sparrow is engaging as we track his life from early childhood, where the floor of the kitchen is all that he knows, to his eventual violent and seemingly inevitable change into one of the ‘wolves’.
The novel is at times life-affirming, with its depictions of the strong bonds between the slaves who have no other sisters than their fellow prostitutes; philosophical, as Hynes engages with different writers and philosophers of the time; and at times disturbingly graphic and violent. It is well researched and believable. I enjoyed reading it despite its sometimes-disturbing subject matter.
Jenny
Format
Books
Reactions