An engaging, female-focussed novel set in ancient Pompeii, from an exciting new voice in historical fiction.
THE WOLF DEN
by Elodie Harper
Head of Zeus UK, May 2021
(chez Mushens Entertainment – voir catalogue)
The streets of Pompeii have a life of their own: the cries of the hawkers, the beauty and dirt of the crowds, the shifts in mood from delight to danger. These are the streets that have become Amara’s home. Day after day she must walk them, looking for business to bring back to her master’s house: the Wolf Den, Pompeii’s infamous brothel. The realities of her existence are made bearable by the other she-wolves at the Wolf Den. Together they can gossip, offer comfort and dream; and their dreams, when woven together, create a picture of life that makes Amara catch her breath. They may only be dreams for now, as insubstantial as the candle smoke that follows the flame, but Amara is determined to make them burn bright. She is only a slave in this beginning, but all good stories must start somewhere…
Elodie Harper is a journalist and prize-winning short story writer. Her story ‘Wild Swimming’ won the 2016 Bazaar of Bad Dreams short story competition, which was judged by Stephen King. She is currently a reporter and presenter at ITV News Anglia, and before that worked as a producer for Channel 4 News.