This book is told in the voices of four Greek gods: Aphrodite, Apollo, Hades, and Ares. It’s 1942, and Hephaestus has caught his cheating wife Aphrodite and her lover Ares in his golden net. Rather than admit her guilt, Aphrodite offers a story of four mortal lovers during the last war, World War I. She lovingly describes a newly enlisted British youth who meets a young woman at a dance just before he ships off for the trenches in France, and she calls on Apollo to narrate the experiences of a Black ragtime musician who joins the Harlem Hellfighters. Hades joins to describe the losses of a young Belgian singer who survived the atrocities of the early years of the war. Ares chimes in from time to time when the war drowns out the lovers’ stories. The gods are both themselves, exchanging snide references to other myths, and personifications of their various elements: Love, Art, Death, and War. 

The narrative is unapologetically a love story -- how could it be anything else with Aphrodite in charge? – but this is also a well told novel about the experiences of the folks on the ground in WWII. Historical figures make appearances, most notably the great ragtime composer and bandleader James Reese Europe. The characters experience all the horrors of war, and help each other survive through love, friendship, and music. Aubrey Evans’ story is particularly poignant. As a Black man, not only is he risking life and limb fighting for his country, he needs to contend with threats from his own fellow American soldiers. When word gets around that he’s keeping company with a white girl, he’s actually safer in the trenches fighting the Germans. 

Through it all, the gods’ narrative voices dominate. They are more tender-hearted than the gods of the Homeric epic, but they still swoop in constantly to interfere with their chosen mortals; either disguised as fellow humans or invisible. It does the Iliad proud. I also appreciated Ares’ snide remarks about Hades’ susceptibility to Persephone, as if it’s surprising that Hades loves his wife. Hephaestus fills the role of audience and judge in this story, which gives him less of a voice.  He's the one that Aphrodite needs to win over, though, so don’t forget about him. This is a long book, more than 400 pages, but it doesn’t drag. I recommend it to fans of historical fiction, sweeping romance, and thoughtful readers of ancient mythology. – Krishni Burns