Olympus, Texas

Author: Stacy Swann
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing, 2021
Pages: 336
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: The Briscoe family is once again the talk of their small town when March returns to East Texas two years after he was caught having an affair with his brother's wife. His mother, June, hardly welcomes him back with open arms. Her husband's own past affairs have made her tired of being the long-suffering spouse. Is it, perhaps, time for a change? Within days of March's arrival, someone is dead, marriages are upended, and even the strongest of alliances are shattered. In the end, the ties that hold them together might be exactly what drag them all down.

Review: This is what I call a slow-burn novel. It's character driven and takes place over the course of one week. Family dysfunction, sibling rivalries and dynamics, and the impact of one person's decisions on those around him are at the center. This was a great start to my year of reading.

There are mythological elements woven into this story. For example, Mars, the god of  war is represented in the character named March. However, I never really got into Greek Mythology so many of these references were lost on me. I suppose if you have that background, you'd like this novel even more than I did.