Sparrow

Sparrow, a riveting novel penned by the talented James Hynes, is a must-read for any book enthusiast. Published by Pan Macmillan in 2023, this piece of literature has captivated audiences with its unique storytelling and compelling narrative. The genre of this book is left for the reader to explore, adding an element of mystery to your reading experience. The author, James Hynes, has an exceptional ability to weave intricate plots and create characters that resonate with readers. Published on May 4, 2023, Sparrow has already made its mark in the literary world. Pan Macmillan, the publisher, is known for its high-quality publications and Sparrow is no exception. This book is a testament to their commitment to delivering excellent literature to readers. If you're looking for a captivating read, Sparrow by James Hynes is the book for you.

?James Hynes's unnerving, exhilarating, unflinching portrayal of sex, slavery and sisterhood takes the reader to one of the most pitiless backstreets of the Roman Empire in its final years only to discover there - between the violence and the suffering, amid the Decline and the Fall - enduring tenderness and love. This is a novel of ancient times for our times. And it is splendid, a work of scorching distinction.' Jim CraceFor readers who have been moved and overwhelmed by Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life, Emma Donoghue's Room and Douglas Stuart's Shuggie Bain, Sparrow tells the story of Jacob, son of no one, last survivor of an abandoned British Roman town. Raised in a brothel on the Spanish coast in the waning years of the Roman Empire, a boy of no known origin creates his own identity. He is Sparrow, who sings without reason and can fly from trouble. His world is a kitchen, the herb-scented garden, then the loud and dangerous tavern, and finally the mysterious upstairs where the ?wolves' - prostitutes of every ethnic background from the far reaches of the empire - do their mysterious business. When not being told stories by his beloved ?mother' Euterpe, he runs errands for her lover the cook, while trying to avoid the blows of their brutal overseer or the machinations of the chief wolf, Melpomene. A hard fate awaits Sparrow, one that involves suffering, murder, mayhem, and the scattering of the little community that has been his whole world.Through meticulous research and bold imagination, Hynes brings the entirety of the Roman city of Carthago Nova - its markets, temples, taverns of the lowly and mansions of the rich - to vivid life. You will feel you have been to this place, and understand how a slave class - conquered people of every age, walk of life, or skin colour - made the brutal empire function.Sparrow recreates a lost world of the last of old pagan Rome as its codes and morals give way before the new religion of Christianity, and introduces readers to one of the most powerfully affecting and memorable characters of recent fiction.