The Wolf Den

Set in AD 74, Elodie Harper’s The Wolf Den is the story of Amara , a prostitute in the lupanar of Pompeii. Amara was not born into slavery. The only child of a Greek doctor in the city of Aphidnai (“Twelfth city of Attica, once the home of Helen of Troy”), she is an educated and intelligent girl whose fortunes were reversed after her father's demise. Sold as a house slave by her mother, she was forced into the life of a concubine before being sold to Felix, who changes her name to Amara and puts her to work as a prostitute in his brothel, The Wolf Den, in the Ancient Roman city of Pompeii.

“Nobody in Pompeii has ever dared ask her this. It’s the last remnant of privacy, of self, that a slave who was once freeborn possesses. show more Their real name.”

She becomes one of the “she-wolves” subject to the brutality and perversion of the men she is required to entertain in the course of her enslavement. Her clients vary from those she picks up in the street to those whose affluent parties she is made to attend. She shares a complicated dynamic with Felix and a sisterhood with the other prostitutes owned by Felix , especially Dido to whom she feels the closest. Despite the petty jealousies and rivalry that crops up from time to time, the she-wolves are a close-knit group who share their traumas, joy, pain, hopes and dreams. They support each other in doing whatever they need to do to survive. Amara dreams of a day when she would save enough from her earnings to buy back her freedom. Even amid the humiliation, pain, and heartache she endures , she relies on her instincts and intelligence to create and utilize opportunities that would bring her closer to her goals. The narrative follows Amara in her attempt to evolve from a victim of circumstance to a resourceful woman who rewrites her own story in a world that is not kind to women in her position (or women, in general) and where most men would rather exploit than assist and kindness is hard to find. Will she be able to find her way out of this life and away from Felix's manipulation ? What (or who) would she have to lose or sacrifice in order to fulfill her dreams?

“She takes her sprig in both hands, crushing it to release the scent. May men fall to me as this offering falls to you, Greatest Aphrodite. May I know love’s power, if never its sweetness. Amara drops her mangled garland on the ever-growing pile of heaped offerings from the desperate whores of Pompeii.”

The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper is an exquisitely written novel that blends historical fact (The Lupanar of Pompeii can be found in the ruins of the Ancient Roman city of Pompeii) and fiction, with an absorbing narrative and strong characterization. The realistic depiction of the characters and their relationships and the vivid imagery used to describe the daily lives of the people, the streets and shops in the vibrant city, the religious festivities and the frescos and graffiti in the lupanar transports you to Amara’s world. I enjoyed the references to Greek and Roman mythology (especially in the context of religious beliefs of that period). I felt invested in Amara’s story from the very first page and rooted for her as she attempted to navigate her way through the challenges on her journey, rejoicing in her small victories and sharing in her pain over her numerous setbacks. However, this is not a book I would recommend to everybody. It is not easy to read about the sexual and physical violence that these women have to endure despite it being integral to the plot of the novel. To the author’s credit, she has exercised considerable restraint and has emphasized the cruelty of the acts rather than go into unnecessary graphic descriptions of the same. Overall, this is a compelling novel that I found hard to put down and a story that will stay with me for a long time. I am glad that the author is not done sharing Amara’s story and eagerly look forward to the next installment in The Wolf Den Trilogy.

“Being free. What does it feel like?” What did it feel like to be Timarete? Amara’s past life blazes into her mind’s eye, with all its love, innocence and hope. “When you see a bird flying,” she says, “that moment when it chooses to swoop lower or soar higher, when there’s nothing but air stopping it, that’s what freedom feels like.” show less

Once the educated daughter of a doctor then slave, concubine and now whore, Amara's life has spiralled out of control, she is now in a poor brothel in Pompeii, forced to work but planning her escape. Her small joys are the companionship of her fellow whores and she uses her skills to try to better her life.
I loved this book, Amara is a proud and clever heroine but her situation is never downplayed and Harper does not shy aware from the violence of her life. As well as being a cracking read, behind this is pinned some excellent research about the lives of the poor in Pompeii. Usually novels set in Roman times are the 'sword and sandals' warrior epics but this is something different, a timeless tale of feminist yearning against a show more backdrop coloured in to perfection. show less

The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper is a refreshing take on historical fiction. Not only is it set in Roman Pompeii rather than northwestern Europe in the 19th or 20th centuries, but it’s centered on enslaved sex workers and told in modern language. (No thou’s or attempts to mimic Latin here!) The author has done a great job of bringing the ancient world to life and making it feel nearer than it is.

The book focuses on Amara, born into a middle-class Greek family and sold into slavery after family tragedy. As she does her best to better her circumstances at any cost, we get not only a portrait of a living Roman city with its pubs, parties, clothing stores, food stalls, and everyday injustices, but also a wonderful sense of the friendships show more and competition within the brothel she works in. I loved seeing how the women there formed a community among themselves, and how they fit into the wider society (or didn’t). I got the real sense that Harper had not only delved deep into how Roman society would’ve worked at the street level, but had done her diligence regarding the lives of (modern) sex workers too.

I also thought that Harper did a good job portraying the characters as complex, fallible, and human. She gives her female characters, especially Amara, the full range of emotions and all are believably imperfect. The worst of the men get sympathetic moments and the best of them, damning ones. They all feel of their time too—relatable or familiar, but also holding attitudes and beliefs that remind you this isn’t a modern story. (For instance, it’s clear that Amara knows slavery sucks for all enslaved people, but she never quite questions why slavery is even a thing.)

All in all, reading this felt like reading about real people leading real lives much more often than it felt like reading a novel. It’s a slowish read that feels at times like it’s digressing or offering up set pieces of Pompeiian life, but those moments all get woven back in neatly by the end. (It’s also slowish because of emotional drain. I couldn’t binge-read because bad things kept happening.) I found the ethical dilemmas compelling, though—if you’d damned no matter what, what’s the right option?—and enjoyed both how Harper told this story and woven in her themes and critiques. It’s definitely been one of the highlights of my reading month and I hope it gets a lot of attention once it’s out.

Note: while this book is definitely pro-sex work and has a lot of sympathy for those who find themselves forced into that life or exploited, it’s still set within an incredibly misogynistic society that saw no problem with degrading or harming women. If harassment, issues with consent or boundaries, or sexual violence are things you don’t want to read about, this might not be the book for you. They’re rarely graphic, but definitely prevalent. show less

Thanks to Sterling Publishing for an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is so unique. I've never read anything like it. This girl-power story of a Pompeii brothel centers on Amara, sex-trafficked by her own mother and sold to a cold and heartless pimp named Felix. She is close to a younger slave named Dido, but many of the "wolves" in the den help one another in order to survive. A brilliant doctor's daughter whose only crime is poverty, Amara is determined to gain her freedom—at any cost. Amara becomes a musical act with Dido and sees the wealthy and glittering side of Pompeii, and befriends Pliny the Elder at one of the parties where she performs.

What amazes me is how unsexy this book show more manages to be when sex is practically all that happens. The pain and the grief of the women overwhelms any titillation the reader might get from the depictions of sex, which are portrayed as either a cold calculus or a despairing submission by the women (except for one green-eyed Briton who fights tooth and nail against her captor and rapists), and brutal rape by the men. There are all the rivalries both within the Wolf Den and between the Wolf Den and other brothels, that one would expect. The depiction of Pompeii life is well-researched and very convincing, especially given how little of Pompeii remains.

The ending seemed a little wobbly but it definitely fit the novel. show less

I often find myself gravitating towards books that take place in the Ancient World, but rarely do I find a book that tells the story so completely and with so much feeling. Pompeii truly becomes alive in this story, as do the characters and the rituals that surround their day to day life. It's a beautiful book, but that being said it is not for the faint of heart either. If you're looking for demure ladies who let things happen to them, this is not the book for you. If you're looking for strong female friendships and women who will do anything to survive, then definitely read this. I feel like this accomplished what Pat Barker tried to do in 'The Silence of the Girls', and did it much better.

Once one get past the setting - whores in a Roman brothel, this is an intriguing tale of girl power, with the heroine making her way in the world, very much against the odds. Good characters and period detail - whether entirely accurate who can say (or cares?), but all believable and involving.

Utterly engrossing! From the first page, we enter the life of the enslaved Greek prostitute, Amara, as she navigates the horrors of the Pompeiian brothel where she is captive. Harper so skillfully brings that world to life - really looking forward to book 2.