‘This must be why my love of Greek mythology has never felt like a hobby, or a way to pass the time. It’s how I make sense of the world and everything in it. It’s what grounds me, makes me feel solid, gives me something constant to return to. It’s a home inside me: a safe place that never changes, never fades, never grows boring, never tells me I’m not good enough, never asks me to leave.‘

I don’t really have time to be reading novels right now (which is also why I haven’t been keeping up with my regular posting schedule – sorry all!). And I definitely don’t have time to be reviewing them. But I was having a rough week, and I bought myself a book to cheer myself up – and now I have to tell you about it in case it flies under the radar of all the mythology nerds out there!

The Cassandra Complex by Holly Smale is definitely more a romantic(ish) comedy than a myth retelling, so it’s not at all the sort of book I usually review; but Greek myths swirl through it, connecting and destabilising the characters and their messy lives, intersecting with the plot in all kinds of interesting ways.

Cassandra Penelope Dankworth, the daughter of a Classics professor, has trouble understanding the world around her, and uses myth to interpret people’s behaviours. As everything falls apart for Cassie – relationship, job, the reliability of banana muffins, and finally even time itself – she becomes a prophet of her own disasters. And there are many, many disasters which even the ability to travel in time cannot fix – particularly the recurring appearance of Artemis/Diana.

This book felt like it was written for me. It’s about myth and monstering and autism, about Classics and connection. It’s about the way autistic people today can look through the lens of myth at all of the world’s big unanswered questions – just as people have been doing for thousands of years.

Those of you who know me will be familiar with this theme – I’ve been giving talks and writing about the connections between autism and classical myth for the last two years, since not long after my own autism diagnosis. I’m in good academic company, too: Professor Susan Deacy has been investigating this area for much longer, and is producing wonderful work (see her blog for regular updates) through the ACCLAIM Network.

And here my favourite subject is, in the form of the permanently confused Cassandra, bouncing between sticky Soho bars and the British Museum, wearing the same outfit every day because it’s comfy. It’s a joy to see!

This isn’t a book for everyone. It’s definitely on the light-hearted girly side of fiction, which won’t be to everybody’s taste, and personally I don’t like the bad language. But it made me cry, and it made me happy – like finding a friend somewhere you weren’t expecting to see them. So if you know someone who combines a passion for classical myth with a high level of social awkwardness, you should buy them this book. You might just be giving them a new friend.

The Cassandra Complex is out in the UK, and now in the US too, where it’s titled Cassandra In Reverse.