Helen of Troy, 1993: Poems

Helen of Troy, 1993: PoemsNamed a Most Anticipated Book of 2025 by Debutiful Part myth retelling, part character study, this sharp, visceral debut poetry collection reimagines Helen of Troy from Homers Iliad as a disgruntled housewife in 1990s Tennessee. In the hills of Sparta, Tennessee, during the early nineties, Helen decides to break free from the life that stifles her: marriage, motherhood, the monotonous duties of a Southern housewife. But leaving isnt the same thing as

Raskolnikov finds the noose of his own guilt tightening around his neck

The fire between them is undeniable

and the men she’s in love with are equally fascinating

It is a love story

it is the one she forces herself to believe

but that comes with the territory of running a business and having beastly urges every full moon

second chances

a mesmerizing tale of power

when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels

Nothing in the whole of literature compares with The Master and Margarita

In a narrative replete with poison arrows

Nguyen and his family are forced to flee his hometown of Ban Mê Thuột and come to the USA as refugees