The tale of Eros and Psyche gets a queer update in The Palace of Eros, the lush and thoughtful novel by Caro De Robertis (The President and the Frog; Cantoras).
Psyche grows up in the shadow of her older sisters, but when she comes of age, her beauty becomes so great that her father's household is overwhelmed by suitors coming to stare at her, but not to offer marriage, because nobody wants to marry "this girl whose face and body had been scraped raw by glances from across the land." Aphrodite becomes jealous that Psyche is drawing so much attention from her. She sends her daughter, Eros, the deity of desire, who is "a woman and also, at the same time... more," to punish Psyche by making her fall in love with an unworthy man. But Eros is overwhelmed when she sees Psyche and devises a plan to make Psyche her wife instead. All Eros has to do is keep her hidden from the other gods, making sure they are never together in the light.
De Robertis adapts the Greek myth into a novel that is sensual and subversive. When Psyche can no longer tolerate the mystery of her husband's identity and she exposes her in the light, she unwittingly reveals their hidden sanctuary to the other gods. Then she doesn't only need to overcome the trials Aphrodite gives her, she and Eros must also heal their broken trust and forge the beginnings of a new world where those who defy expectations can belong. Fans of Circe by Madeline Miller and Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood will be enthralled. --Kristen Allen-Vogel, information services librarian at Dayton Metro Library