POMEGRANATES by Priya Sharma – Review

I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Pomegranates by Priya Sharma
Published by PS Publishing on December 10 2022
Genres: Adult, Dystopian, Greek mythology
Pages: 108
Format: eARC
Source: Author
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The nitty-gritty: Greek gods meet climate change in Priya Sharma’s latest, a short but memorable cautionary tale.

A few years ago I had the pleasure of reading Priya Sharma’s Ormeshadow, a dark story about family secrets. So when she asked me to read Pomegranates, I didn’t even hesitate. This time, the author has written a dystopian tale that weaves together themes of global warming and climate change with well known characters from Greek mythology. This was such a surprising story, beautifully constructed and written, and I can’t recommend it highly enough, especially if you are a fan of the Greek gods. 

The story revolves around several main characters. First, we have Demeter, the Goddess of Crops, who finds herself in a mental institution undergoing therapy. There she recounts her story to Dr. Protheroe, explaining how she’s looking for her missing daughter, Persephone.

Persephone dwells in the underworld, stolen by Hades and forced to live there for three months every year. But Persephone is angry at humans, who are destroying the planet, so as punishment she’s brought down an endless winter on Earth and everything is starting to die off. 

Finally, we meet a man named Dr. Ursa, also known as Bear, who is a scientist working to preserve seeds from every known species of plant in a doomsday vault called the Demeter Bank. When the horrible winter hits, Dr. Ursa tries to find shelter from the unforgiving weather and stumbles upon the entrance to the underworld. There he meets Persephone and tries to convince her to bring back Spring.

Interspersed among these narratives is a Greek chorus who interprets the story and explains the meaning of the pomegranate seeds that Persephone ate in the underworld. This is a deceptively simple tale about family, betrayal, revenge and ultimately forgiveness and acceptance. I thought the idea of modernizing the Greek gods was so clever, although in Sharma’s story they are gods through and through, even though the setting is contemporary.

Sharma adds layers to her story by fleshing out the backstories of her characters. As Demeter and Persephone tell their stories, they delve back into their bloody, drama-filled family history. Dr. Protheroe wonders if Demeter is delusional and really believes she and her family are Greek gods, or could she be telling the truth?

I especially loved the way the author used the idea of seeds throughout her story. Bear’s seed bank could bring the natural world back from the brink of death, and there is the interesting idea that humans and plants have much more in common at the cellular level that you would expect. And of course, pomegranate seeds are vitally important to Sharma’s story. They represent temptation, but also the promise of change. In this version of the myth, Persephone eats three pomegranate seeds in the underworld, tying her to that place for three months out of the year (winter). In this story, she’s punishing humans for the way they’ve ruined the planet by staying in the underworld indefinitely and not allowing the land to thaw.

This is one of those stories that seems disjointed at times, as each character has their own journey and experiences, but by the end of the story everything comes together beautifully. I loved the hopeful ending, which left me with a happy glow. 

Big thanks to the author for providing a review copy.