Alcestis

In Greek myth, Alcestis is known as the ideal wife; she loved her husband so much that she died and went to the underworld in his place. And yet, her story was largely untold—until now. In this vividly imagined debut, Katharine Beutner gives voice to the woman behind the ideal and reveals new facets of the story: Who was Alcestis in all her complexities? And what happened to her in the three days she spent in the underworld?

A queer, feminist retelling of a character who was largely overshadowed in popular mythology, Alcestis explores themes that are just as relevant today as they were in the Bronze Age.