Sparrow is a book that was not on my radar until my friend Elyse recommended it to me. I immediately ordered a copy, and WOW! This is a book unlike any other I've read. The only book I can compare it to is another historical fiction, 'The Wolf and the Watchman'.
This novel takes place during the last years of the Roman empire in the city of Carthago Nova and is narrated by a slave boy. His life is detailed from the time he is quite young, to his adulthood. He has no idea where he's from and does not know who his parents were. He appears to have been dropped off at a tavern in Helicon which also serves as a house of prostitution.
The novel is a harrowing portrait of this boy's life. Throughout the book, he goes by multiple names and is frequently called Pusus, a name that means 'slave'. His friends are the prostitutes, or 'wolves', who live and work in the tavern. They are all named after muses and one especially is important to him. Her name is Euterpe and she takes him under her wing, attempting to prevent him from getting beaten or harmed. When times are tough or Pusus asks difficult questions she tells him tales that offer optimism, hope, and knowledge.
Euterpe's efforts to shield him from harm don't get very far as Pusus is soon assigned to work with the wolves in the upstairs tavern. His saving grace is his ability to dissociate, and his image of being a sparrow is where he goes when life is too difficult to bear. Euterpe told him a tale about the sparrow's ability to take quick flight and remove itself from danger and fear. Thus, when Pusus is frightened or hurt, he takes the form of a sparrow and hovers outside his physical body.
The novel pointedly explores the hypocrisy and cruelty of the Roman Catholic church during this timeframe. Despite their 'holier than thou' attitudes, they own the brothel and use the money earned through prostitution to build their coffers and support slavery.
The book is an intricate and historical portrait of a time and people, of the overwhelming discrepancies between wealth and poverty, and the story of a boy born into chattel. It is beautifully detailed and the author's research is astonishing. I loved this book and highly recommend it to readers of historical and literary fiction.
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Top reviews from other countries
PJM
An enchanting story of a boy slave
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2024JayneFT
Brutal, explicit and deeply engaging
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 19, 2023Natasha
I couldn’t put it down
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2023