The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper

 

The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper.

Published in paperback 2nd September 2021 by Apollo/Head of Zeus.

From the cover of the book:

Sold by her mother. 

Enslaved in Pompeii's brothel. 

Determined to survive. Her name is Amara. 

Welcome to the Wolf Den...

Amara was once a beloved daughter, until her father's death plunged her family into penury. Now she is a slave in Pompeii's infamous brothel, owned by a man she despises. Sharp, clever and resourceful, Amara is forced to hide her talents. For now her only value lies in the desire she can stir in others.

But Amara's spirit is far from broken. By day, she walks the streets with the Wolf Den's other women, finding comfort in the laughter and dreams they share. For the streets of Pompeii are alive with opportunity. Out here, even the lowest slave can secure a reversal in fortune. Amara has learnt that everything in this city has its price. But how much is her freedom going to cost her?

Set in Pompeii's lupanar, The Wolf Den is the first in a trilogy of novels reimagining the lives of women who have long been overlooked.

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Meet Amara, once the much loved daughter of a Greek doctor, she was sold into slavery after his death, when her mother was unable to save them from their slide into poverty. She now finds herself a slave in a brothel in Pompeii, owned by a cruel master she despises. Gone are her dreams of studying medicine, instead she spends her days and nights as a plaything for any man who has the price to buy himself some female company, along with the other unfortunate she-wolves, finding comfort in their friendship and the shared burden of the life they have been forced to lead.

But Amara is no fool. She knows there are ways to win your freedom in Pompeii, and if she can find herself a patron willing to pay for her exclusive attentions she might just be able to save herself from a bleak future. But how much is she willing to sacrifice to achieve her freedom?

Everything about this wonderful novel was right up my historical fiction loving, Pompeiian street! Elodie Harper, inspired by the graffiti still visible on the walls of Pompeii today, takes us right into the heart of this Roman city with a delicious feeling of time and place - and fills its streets with a compelling array of characters from all walks of life. You can almost feel yourself strolling through the cobbled alleys, browsing the goods at the forum, gossiping at the baths, and marvelling at the combat skills of the gladiators in the arena.

The story revolves around Amara and the other women of the brothel, ruled with a rod of iron by their master Felix, who has his fingers in many pies including moneylending - and it is the fortunes of these women that captivates you from the very first page. Harper does not shy away from the unflinching truth of the life of a slave in a Roman city, and it is through the occupants of the wolf-den that we feel the heartbreak the most: the hopelessness they feel, the brutality inflicted upon them, and the contempt shown to them by the so-called respectable citizens (although they are still keen to use their services), and yet we also experience their strong sense of sisterhood and spirit, despite the petty rivalries that arise among them. 

I really enjoyed the way the characters of the she-wolves develop over the course of the story, as we come to understand their survival strategies, and experience their triumphs and tragedies. It is Amara who changes the most, gradually losing more of herself in her determination to keep body and soul together, as she learns how to play Felix at his own dangerous game. As the story gets progressively more complex, burgeoning into a tale with layer upon layer of secrecy, intrigue and countermoves against a backdrop that brings in all levels of Pompeiian culture and society (and a very famous name from Roman history), it becomes impossible to tear your eyes away from the page until you reach the shattering climax.

This really is an enthralling story, beautifully written, plotted and researched. It brings in so much about the Roman way of life, particularly their unpalatable views of the worth of an individual, and the role of women - giving voice to those who have long been overlooked. It made me sob my heart out and seethe with rage at the things our incredible she-wolves have to endure, but the experience is one I would not have forgone for a second. I cannot wait for the next instalment, The House with the Golden Door, coming May 2022.

The Wolf Den is available to buy now from your favourite book retailer in hardback, paperback, ebook and audio formats.

Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending e a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Elodie Harper is a journalist and prize-winning writer. Her story Wild Swimming won the 2016 Bazaar of Bad Dreams short story competition, which was judged by Stephen King. She is currently a reporter and presenter at ITV News, and before that worked as a producer for Channel 4 News. Her job as a journalist has seen her join one of the most secretive wings of the Church of Scientology and cover the far right hip hop scene in Berlin, as well as crime reporting in Norfolk where her first two novels were set – The Binding Song and The Death Knock. Elodie studied Latin poetry both in the original and in translation as part of her English Literature degree at Oxford, instilling a lifelong interest in the ancient world. The Wolf Den is the first in a trilogy of novels about the lives of women in ancient Pompeii.