A Thing of Beauty: Travels in Mythical and Modern Greece

Nature writer Fiennes (Footnotes) delivers a wide-ranging if scattered meditation on his travels in Greece. Drawing on myths, dreams, stories of climate change, and moments of hope that he encountered there during “the first year of Covid,” Fiennes seeks to discover if Greece’s origin stories are “in any way relevant to our now apparently distant lives.” He makes effective use of foundational myths, which he draws on when describing the Acrocorinth and the Oracle at Delphi, and his descriptions of natural beauty, such as the Stymphalian Lake, are memorable. The narrative often veers from traditional travel writing to more environmental cri de coeur as Fiennes observes the impacts of a changing climate on littered beaches and in the unbearable heat, leaving him to wonder if humans are “at a turning point, or perhaps the end of the road” when it comes to the damage done to the environmental. The hopscotch narrative is often colored by the Covid-19 pandemic, as trips are delayed, typically crowded sites are deserted, and, in one instance, Fiennes picks up two hitchhikers attempting to make it home before borders close. But though the writing is passionate and lyrical, the many disparate pieces never quite coalesce. This one feels stuck in the departure lounge. (Nov.)