Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon follows Cory, an 18 year old girl that is trying to get from under her mother's thumb. She is working at a sleep away summer camp while she is trying to decide what her next steps in life will be. She befriends Spencer, an child who is way too young to be at camp. When Rolo, Spencer's dad shows up for the end of the summer. He offers Cory a job as a nanny for the remainder of the summer. Rolo offers her 20,000.00 as compensation for her time. With the money Cory can get out from under her mother's controlling eye. With no cell service on the island Emer, Cory's mother has lost her job in order to figure where she is and take her back home where she belongs. The chapters alternate from Cory's point of view and Emer's. The struggles that they both are enduring for their search to find who they really are.

In "Fruit of the Dead," Rachel Lyon ambitiously takes on the task of retelling the timeless myth of Hades and Persephone, creating a vivid and atmospheric world that brims with potential. While the imagery and setting lay a strong foundation for success, the novel, unfortunately, falls short in execution, leaving readers yearning for more depth in both details and dialogue.

The novel's strengths lie in its rich and evocative imagery, transporting readers to a world that is both haunting and captivating. Lyon skillfully paints scenes that resonate with the mythical undertones of the Hades and Persephone narrative. The atmospheric settings, tinged with an otherworldly aura, create a backdrop that feels both familiar and refreshingly new.

However, where "Fruit of the Dead" struggles is in the execution of its narrative. The novel relies heavily on the internal dialogue of the main characters, leaving the story somewhat one-dimensional. While the internal musings provide insight into the characters' thoughts and emotions, the lack of external dialogue and detailed interactions hinders the overall development of the narrative.

The story seems to unfold primarily within the confines of the main characters' minds, with minimal exploration of the world and relationships beyond their internal struggles. The lack of dialogue outside of internal monologues leaves the reader craving more interaction and engagement between characters. This limitation inhibits the story's ability to fully blossom and explore the potential complexities of the myth it seeks to retell.

Furthermore, the novel occasionally feels rushed, leaving certain elements of the plot underdeveloped. More attention to detail and a deeper exploration of secondary characters could have added layers to the story, enhancing the overall reading experience.

In conclusion, "Fruit of the Dead" is a novel with immense potential, especially in its imaginative retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth. The atmospheric imagery sets the stage for a captivating narrative, but the execution falls short due to a lack of detailed external dialogue and underdeveloped elements. Despite its shortcomings, the novel offers a unique perspective on a classic myth, making it a worthwhile read for those drawn to inventive retellings. Rachel Lyon's work, while not without merit, leaves readers yearning for a more robust exploration of the characters and world she has created.

Wow. Wow wow wow. Fruit of the Dead is a contemporary reimagining of Persephone, Hades, and Demeter's story, told in dual narratives between daughter Cory and her mother Emer. We follow Cory's journey with Rolo, a mysterious billionaire parent of one of the camp kids Cory worked with, who offers her a job in nannying at his private island. We then bounce between Emer, who was left with little information on where Cory disappeared to after summer camp and her desperate journey to find her.

I was truly blown away by Fruit of the Dead. Rachel Lyon created such an incredible atmosphere within the novel—it was dark, winding, and lush. Her descriptions were sometimes a bit wordy, but I felt like it truly lended to capturing the vibe of the world Cory was thrust into. I found myself wanting to highlight paragraphs at a time; something about the language and sentence structure just hit me in a way I can't fully describe. But I loved it and devoured it. It was so fun also reading the differences in language between Cory's chapters and Emer's.

What I also loved is Lyon wasn't afraid to deviate from the original myth. There were so many nods (the three dogs representing Cerberus was genius) to the classic myth, but she was able to craft her own story that kept readers on their toes. The first part of the novel, as she set the stage, was a tiny bit slow, but I was racing to finish it by the second half.

The only thing that threw me was that there were no quotations around the dialogue. I got used to it and was able to adjust but it took several chapters to get there.

I'm a little obsessed with this book, if I'm going to be honest. I definitely will want to buy a hard copy for myself once it's out.

Maybe it’s my fault for looking into the myth that Fruit of the Dead is based on before starting it, but knowing that the two protagonists were supposed to be Persephone and Demeter meant this novel felt rather listless. Spoiler for an ancient myth I guess but it’s a given with this book that teenage protagonist Cory (Persephone) is going to be coerced into living with billionaire Rolo (Hades) and that Cory’s mother (Demeter) will find and rescue her daughter. The character arcs are preordained. If I had connected more with this version of the story the predictability wouldn’t be an issue but I never felt much of anything. The character of Cory, who we spend the most time with, felt especially underdeveloped. Her motivations get more unclear with every chapter.

I really want to like this novel. Reminiscing on it now, I feel like I should because of how much of it I like in theory. Depressed teenagers, power imbalanced relationships, motherhood, drug addiction, Big Pharma greed. All these themes are compelling to me, but they just aren’t explored convincingly or with enough depth.

It needs to be said that Rachel Lyon can really write. There are moments in here that are so poetic and well-observed. Especially the early chapters from Cory’s perspective and her painful, teenage apathy that Lyon gets so right. It made me want to read more of her writing. Just maybe not another retelling, please.

A unique yet timeless rendition of the myth and woven with complexity and clarity only Rachel Lyon could do. While knowing the very general plot from the same story we all know, this takes you on ride you’d never have guessed. It’s fresh, different, twisty, and fierce. I absolutely loved Cory and her mother Emer (and the lengths she goes to recover her lost daughter) billionaire islands have never sounded so fun yet daunting.

Unexpectedly brilliant.

The contemporary retelling of Persephone and Demeter gives us two unlikeable characters: camp counselor Cory and her workaholic mother Emer. We focus on Cory’s development as she finds herself first escaping to, but then potentially trapped by, a pharma bro’s private island. There are abundant, rich temptations for a lost young woman which showcase Cory’s ethical and personal development challenges. Meanwhile, her abrupt departure worries her mother, who then departs on a long quest (descent into madness?) to find Cory.

Plot-wise, it’s far fetched only to the same extent it’s based on myth. There is much greater emphasis on character development than plot construction, which might not work for some readers but was great for me.

It’s rare I fixate on certain lines while reading, but some of these hit hard. Excellent prose all around. I can’t speak to how Fruit of the Dead compares to Lyon’s debut, but I will definitely be reading Self Portrait with Boy.

4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley & Scribner for my e-ARC.

What a unique read! Fruit of the Dead follows freshly-eighteen Cory and her mother, Emer, as Cory decides to take a job being the nanny for pharmaceutical company CEO’s children on a private, secluded island. Written in dual POV, you experience the consequences of Cory’s new job for both main characters.

Let’s take a look at some things I enjoyed about the novel! Rachel Lyon did an excellent job of writing characters both magnetic and grotesque. The descriptions of Rolo (CEO) simultaneously made me want to reread the sentence but also wash my eyeballs out. In addition, from Emer’s POV, it is obvious that Cory sometimes appears as an afterthought, which only added to Cory’s narrative about her mother. Finally, the cover and the title are absolutely stunning!

There were some things I didn’t enjoy as much, however. First, something about the pacing felt off. This resulted in the ending not having much impact on me because it felt rushed and anticlimactic. Second, I wasn’t really invested in the main characters. The prose itself was absolutely gorgeous, but I think the writing style distanced me a bit from the individuals.

Fruit of the Dead earns a solid 3/5 stars from me! Overall, I just felt not smart enough to enjoy this book as others might. If you plan on picking this book up once it releases on March 5, 2024, PLEASE check the content warnings first.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for this ARC of Fruit of the Dead!

Trying to process what just happened. I felt very uncomfortable reading this, am I supposed to feel better that she was saved by her mother? A narcissistic parent that clearly put too much pressure on a child? I don’t know, it’s hard to read a book and not root for anyone.

Greek Mythology based book was weird but ok read!

Sometimes hard to follow and boring at times. It was interesting but fell flst for me.

Thanks NetGalley for allowing me to read and review

A perfectly fine book, but it just didn't work for me and I can't put my finger on why. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity.

If there is something wrong with this book it's that it is simply too short for my taste.

I was really excited at the idea of a story focusing on the relationship of Demeter and Persephone. I didn't particularly care about the contemporary trappings of the myth, or that Hades would have to be present out of necessity. I don't even think that the actual narrative of the book is all that different than the synopsis, just that the book I built in my head was different than the one I actually read.

So even with that disclaimer, I don't think this book really works. We start the book meeting Cory, fresh off a summer working at a camp the wealthy father of the boy she was comforting on the last day talks her into being a nanny for his children for the next sixish weeks and in exchange she'll get 20k. Usually when characters in books are offered a life changing amount of money, and for Cory who desperately wants to leave her mother and have a gap year with only the savings from camp to go on, she readily accepts and is whisked off to the gated community our Hades-esque character calls home.

Emer, Cory's mother, is the face of a agricultural situation. What it was supposed to be exactly went over my head, other than they had funded this genetically modified rice that was meant to be able to produce more than regular rice? It might also be nutritionally fortified... Honestly it doesn't matter because this whole set up really only exists to let us know that she's been focused on her work and rubbing shoulders with Senators and former Presidents in relation to this business at the start of the book. Then in a nod to the original myth I suppose the dubbed Magic Rice fails to yield anything for the farmers in China they've been working with, she gets a lot of negative media attention for this all as she realizes that Cory has taken a mysterious new job and didn't come home after camp.

The narrative bounces back and forth from there, us seeing Cory as a nanny in a situation that feels like the reader is trapped in a fun house mirror and her mother one step behind trying to reunite with her daughter.

In a way this was probably what I should have seen coming, but I just wanted more from this mother/daughter story. Most of what we see of their relationship is in small moments of flashbacks. In the present I wasn't invested in either storyline. Like I said at the start I think that the narrative would have benefited from being a little longer. Partly because their reunification is so easy? I dunno. it just never clicked into place for me.

I'll also say that there's a scene in the book near the end that feels sexually dubious at best... It was personally giving assault to me, but I'm unsure if that was how the moment was meant to play out. Partially because the book does this thing where it wants to end on this note of maybe Cory will leave her mother again and return to this wealthy pharmaceutical ceo even though there was nothing compelling about their relationship and he did give off assaulter vibes.

I'm sad that this didn't work out for me in quite the ways I hoped, but I'm sure there's an audience for this one. Just don't ask me who it is.

The cover and the title are awesome. I wanted to like this, but the writing style isn't doing it for me. I would potentially tryout something else by this author, or maybe try this book in the future after it is published, but for now I am going to have to pass on this one.

A weird, poetic, and claustrophobic book filled with dreamy prose and bad decisions. Based of the Greek Myth of the mother/daughter duo of Persephone and Demeter, Fruit of the Dead follows a 18 year-old cap counselor Cory and her mix up with a wealthy father of one of the campers. She is ripped from her world and jetted off to a remote island to nanny for the man's two kids, all while her mom is trying to move the world to bring her back home.

This was such a weird and ominous read that goes into the 'fever dream' category for sure. While sometimes hard to follow without quotations and the muddled timeline, it was still such an interesting and gripping read based off a harrowing Greek Mythology.

I received this ARC thanks to Netgalley prior to its release date of March 5th, 2024. A literary retelling of the Demeter and Persephone tale, Rachel Lyon paints two brilliant binaries-- the story of Cory, a directionless, listless, anxious 18-year-old who is whisked away from her summer camp gig to a private island owned by a pharmaceutical bigshot told in tandem with the story of Emer, the workaholic, well-meaning mother of Cory who is facing the downfall of her career. Rolo-- the pharmaceutical bigshot in question-- is enigmatic, twisted, controlling, and elusive. He cuts Cory off from the world she once knew, much to the panic of her mother, who is willing to move heaven and earth to get to her daughter.
I highly recommend reading up on the mythology of Persephone and Demeter before reading this book. I waited until after, but I wish I would have read up on it before. I think it would have changed the experience all in all. I think that Rachel Lyon's writing was great. She has beautiful prose that I truly enjoyed. The story is told from two different perspectives, and I've got to say that I enjoyed Cory's more. My eyes started glazing over slightly during Emer's chapters. I enjoyed the witty connections that Rachel Lyons included that tie in well with the mythology without overkill. The story of interesting, though at times I felt it became a little monotonous.
Overall, the story was interesting and beautifully written. A unique spin on a classic tale. I

The writing structure was not the type that I typically enjoy. I needed more dialogue among the characters. I also feel that I would have enjoyed it more if I was familiar with the myth. I will still recommend this, especially for those that enjoy contemporary myth retellings, but it was not for me.

This is such a wild ride - I appreciate the dual perspective of this mythic retelling in a modern setting. I think the characters were well enough laid out and flowed into the story well. A theme I found interesting juxtaposition of the pharmaceutical industry vs the more humanitarian fields and how maybe not so different they are when you take a look at their operational underbelly.

But more broadly this isn’t for everyone but for a literary fiction vibe of a mythical story it was pretty enjoyable. Definitely worth checking some trigger warnings.

I am a huge fan of mytjol9gy and retellings. The cover on this was also badass, so I thought this would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, that did not end .up being the case. I really didn't care for the writing style. I also didn't find the characters or plot interesting. I was very disappointed but I'm sure there will be others this resonates with better.

Very disappointed that I just could not get into this. The beginning felt clunky and odd. I know the Greek mythology but maybe I'll pick this up for a reread so I can get a feel for the flow of the plot.

In Fruit of the Dead, Cory is recently 18 and working at her summer camp with no Fall college or gap year plans locked down. She does think twice, but decides to take an impromptu job offer with the extremely wealthy father of one of her favorite campers. She quickly signs an NDA and is whisked off to a private island. There is limited communication access and she neglects to truly explain to her mother Emer where she is and what she is doing.
Much like the mythology, this book is based upon, Emer is a true force of nature and has great misgivings about what has happened to her daughter. It isn't long before her search for her daughter sets off a chain of events that will impact much more than their small family of two.

While you do not need to know the mythology behind the story of Demeter and Persephone, knowing it adds a beautiful layer of complexity to this beguiling story. Rachel Lyon has rewritten the myth for contemporary times, mirroring some of the most talked about issues in this poor girl meets rich man story. Every connection to the original myth is so creative, so witty, I will recommend it highly and reread it soon! If you like greek myth retellings, stories of young adults finding their way, or just want to visit the private island of a billionaire, Fruit of the Dead is for you!
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