Laura Shepperson

Phaedra Laura Shepperson

Debut novelist Laura Shepperson offers a controversial retelling of the much maligned Phaedra, flipping the script on victim vs. villain, for fans of Madeline Miller and Natalie Haynes.

Phaedra is a powerful queen, granddaughter of a God, plucked from the court of Knossos in Crete to be the wife of the noble Theseus, slayer of the Minotaur and rightful King of Athens. She is a naïve girl, thrust into a marriage she does not want with a power-hungry opportunist.

Theseuss son, Hippolytus, is known as a man of honor, sworn to the virgin goddess Artemis. A model of virtue, he has no time for women, only prayer. But in truth, Hippolytus is a beast, and his friends are worse. The women in the court must navigate their way around them for their own survival, knowing no one will come to save them.

Even so, Phaedra finds herself obsessively in love with Hippolytus, and she will do anything to have him. But she is afraid and alone. Then, the unthinkableand the inevitablehappens: Hippolytus is accused of rape by his own stepmother. Is the accusation Phaedras revenge for her stepsons refusal of her attentions? Or, is Hippolytus truly a monster in disguise?

There must be justice. Through Laura Sheppersons lyrical and heartbreaking adaptation, there will be justice. And the Gods will see to it.