The Kardashians in Knossos? Emily Roberson’s Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters is a retelling of the story of Ariadne and her brother. You may be familiar with this story by its more common name, Theseus and the Minotaur, but Theseus is not the lead character of this book, and Ariadne’s brother is not a nameless monster. In this book, the royal family of Crete lives in a hybrid ancient world, simultaneously set in the technological future and the mythical past, where they are stars in a set of reality television shows. Although only a teenager, Ariadne assumes sole responsibility for her semi-verbal younger brother Asterion’s well-being. Only Ariadne can calm Asterion, who is able to communicate with the sign language that she has developed for him, and he cannot control his violent outbursts, which disturb and exhaust him. Ariadne is disgusted by her family’s values, which are focused on audience ratings and social media engagement. She grows to understand that her parents are willing to sacrifice any of their children to boost their media empire’s ratings.

This book has depictions of sexuality and substance abuse, as well as disturbing family relationships. In the midst of it, Ariadne sees the corruption of her family’s ethos and demonstrates love and tenderness towards her brother. The final scene between Ariadne and Asterion is devastating, and the issues it raises are timely ones that evoke questions of disability and identity, valuable for all contemporary readers to consider as vulnerable communities find themselves objects of political concern. – Nava Cohen