Sing to Me

Browner (Everything Happens Today) portrays the Trojan War from the perspective of an 11-year-old boy in this stirring novel. Hani is left alone in his home village, his brothers having joined the fighting in Troy followed by their father, who brought along Hani’s younger sister, Arinna, in the wake of their mother’s death. Believing himself destined to protect Arinna, Hani makes it his mission to bring her home. Despite having little sense of “where he’s going or what hidden dangers lie in the way,” he confidently sets out with his donkey. He eventually reaches Troy, where he glimpses remnants of the Greeks’ Trojan Horse amid scores of dead bodies and toppled buildings. Hani’s tragic quest takes a surprising turn, one that gives the boy hope after despair. Along the way, Browner brilliantly conveys the impact of war through its collateral consequences, such as the farms in Hani’s village left barren without able-bodied men to tend them. The novel also playfully subverts Homer’s heroic tropes; for instance, Hani puts a twist on the opening line of the Odyssey while calling out to the amphibians he plans to catch for food: “Sing to me now, you frogs who hold the shores of the pond!” It’s a worthy counterpoint to the classic myths. Agent: Gail Hochman, Brandt & Hochman Literary. (May)