Till We Have Faces retells the story of Cupid and Psyche from the point of view of the sister who convinces Psyche to sneak a peek at her secretive husband. The sister, Orual, writes her story as a kind of indictment against the gods for taking the person that she loves best in the world away from her. She is a fascinating character: strong and intelligent, but the cruelty and isolation of her upbringing have also left her bitter and emotionally scarred. Her journey from lonely, observant child to powerful and just queen is engrossing. In the second half of the book, written after a life-changing event, Orual reassesses her understanding of herself and her closest relationships. If the first part of the book is an exciting adventure, the second half is a revelation. Lewis parallels Psyche’s trials with Orual’s own spiritual journey toward self-discovery at the end of her life. All the threads of the book are unraveled and rewoven into a completely different story-tapestry, like the perfect plot twist that makes you reassess everything you know about the characters. 

C.S. Lewis is one of the most beloved children’s authors of all time. However, this book might be challenging for younger readers. Not only is the language richly complex, but some aspects of the story are hard to read. The sisters’ father is abusive, and slavery is depicted in all its cruelty. I’d advise fans of the Chronicles of Narnia to wait a couple years before trying Till We Have Faces. Lewis himself says that he spent 35 years thinking about Orual’s story before he started writing it. During that time, he underwent a profound change in faith that led him, among other things, to rethink Orual’s life much as he had rethought his own. The two parts of the book represent his two understandings and are equally sincere. Lewis considered Till We Have Faces to be his best book. I would agree. – Krishni Burns

C.S. Lewis’ Till We Have Faces re-tells the story of Cupid and Psyche from the perspective of Orual, one of Psyche’s two older sisters. In Apuleius’ version of the myth, the sisters are responsible for ruining Psyche’s marriage, and Lewis has preserved a strand of jealousy and possessive love in Orual. But he also makes her a heroine: though mocked for being ugly, she is clever and skilled in using a sword, and she eventually takes over as Queen after her father dies. She has deep attachments to her advisors Fox and Bardia and admires them both, but is often torn between their views, especially regarding the gods. That the book is ultimately about skepticism and belief is not a surprise given the author. But young readers will likely be more gripped by the fabulous characters and landscape and the tale’s first-person narration, which offers an intimate and frank look at Orual’s courage but also her doubts and flaws. – Ruth Caston