“Beautifully written and hauntingly emotive” - Elodie Harper’s ‘The Wolf Den’ Review
Award-winning author and journalist Elodie Harper’s latest novel, ‘The Wolf Den’, is an alluring tale of heartbreak, poverty and love. The novel, recently selected as Waterstone’s ‘book of the month’ for September, is the first instalment in a planned trilogy set in ancient Pompeii. The book was published in May 2021 and tells the story of a group of young women forced into a life of slavery at a brothel known as the ‘Wolf Den’.
Throughout the book, the main character, Amara, is determined to defy the odds and free herself from the life of hardship she has been sold into. The characters that Harper has created in this novel are sharp, warm and compassionate despite their circumstances.
As each chapter unfolds, it becomes clear that the novel is a love story, though not the typical romantic one we have come to expect. Instead, the love story in this book is something much stronger; a growing admiration, respect, and devotion between the women at the brothel show just how beautiful the love of friendship truly is.
Harper’s talent for worldbuilding is apparent in her carefully crafted descriptions of ancient Pompei. Phrases such as “there are few crimes as great in Pompeii as poverty” bring the city to life, fully immersing you into a vivid life of destitution. While most stories of ancient Rome are tragic stories of mythical gods and creatures, ‘The Wolf Den’ is a stark contrast. Beautifully written and hauntingly emotive, Harper manages to poetically capture a life of poverty and slavery in a way that leaves you wanting more.
Harper’s use of quotes at the beginning of each chapter also helps to captivate the reader. Ranging from Roman poets and philosophers like Ovid and Pliny the Elder to Pompeii graffiti, she has carefully chosen a selection of enthralling quotations to set the period and theme.
‘The Wolf Den’ is not Elodie Harper’s first success, having received the 2016 Bazaar of Bad Dreams short story competition, judged by Stephen King, for her short story ‘Wild Swimming’. Before her latest series, Harper has also published two novels as well as working as an investigative journalist for both ITV Anglia and Channel 4.
While historical fiction may not be everyone’s cup of tea, ‘The Wolf Den’ is a powerful must-read novel you won’t be able to set down.
★★★★★
The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper is published by Head of Zuess (£6.99-7.50) and is available in paperback at local bookstores.