The Palace of Eros: A Novel BY Caro De Robertis

Featured in Electric Literature’s “65 Queer Books You Need to Read in Summer 2024,” The Palace of Eros is a bold and feminist retelling of the Greek myth of Psyche and Eros. This subversive and enchanting novel, perfect for fans of Circe and Black Sun, reimagines the classic tale through a lens of queer joy and liberation.

In this retelling, Psyche is a young woman celebrated for her stunning beauty but burdened by societal expectations and the constraints of her gender. Desiring escape from the male-dominated world that confines her, Psyche's fate takes a dramatic turn when her father, pressured by a vengeful Aphrodite, sacrifices her to a monstrous husband as a means of appeasement. To her surprise, no monster arrives.

Instead, Eros—nonbinary deity of desire and Aphrodite’s child—comes to Psyche’s aid, defying the commands of Olympus. Eros, unable to harm Psyche, transports her to a hidden, idyllic palace away from divine scrutiny. In this secret sanctuary, Psyche and Eros fall deeply in love, with Eros visiting each night under the veil of darkness, leaving only before dawn to maintain their secrecy.

As time passes, Psyche wrestles with the cost of their clandestine love and the tension between freedom and secrecy. Influenced by her sisters, she breaks Eros’s trust, setting off a chain of events that challenges their relationship and shakes the foundations of the divine realm.

The Palace of Eros is told with bold, lyrical prose, transporting readers to a world where magic and reality intertwine, and where personal freedom is fought for amidst societal fears and divine intervention.