Walls of Troy

by Ryan R. Schoon

Through a deep inter-text with the Illiad, "Walls of Troy" asks the question of what it means to be heroic in modern times. The author unravels the complex stories within stories that make up the rich internal lives of his characters. Griffith, a student trapped deeply within himself, must come to terms with his misconceptions about his mentor, his lover, and his own misanthropic worldview. Renee, Griffith's lover and a single-mom, must dig deep into herself to come to terms with her ex-husband's, Scott's, manipulations and find a place for a man she hates in the life of their daughter. Sophia, pregnant with Scott's child, must probe the dark history of her long-estranged, deceased father to test the motivations behind a professor's strange offer to support her and her child if she will give up all connections to Troy, the university town of her birth, even as that professor, Eugene, sorts through his oldest, most damaging secrets of his life. In the final chapters, we meet the villain himself, Scott, and must challenge our own beliefs about what it means to be a father, lover, and spouse. Filled with gritting detail and endearing humor, "Walls at Troy" creates a complex narrative that will captivate readers as they, and the author, explore the toll the walls we erect within ourselves will invariably exact.

256 pages, Paperback

First published December 28, 2010