Olympus Texas

Stacey Swann’s debut, Olympus Texas, an epic portrayal of blended families and all the messy dynamics that come with them.

Synopsis: The Briscoe family is once again the talk of their small town when March returns to East Texas two years after he was caught having an affair with his brother's wife. His mother, June, hardly welcomes him back with open arms. Her husband's own past affairs have made her tired of being the long-suffering spouse. Is it, perhaps, time for a change? Within days of March's arrival, someone is dead, marriages are upended, and even the strongest of alliances are shattered. In the end, the ties that hold them together might be exactly what drag them all down.

What appealed to you in this story?

Bring on a family full of lies, secrets, and so much more, but mostly it was how the dynamics in this family somehow worked in a very unhealthy way (if that makes sense at all) that appealed to me the most.

Family dynamics come in all forms. They can be loving and kind, but they can also be harsh, unforgiving, doomed, and just a hot mess. The dynamics going on with the characters in this story were more in lines of an unforgiving and doomed mess. Their lives were spinning out of control over years of marriage, children, both legitimate and not, and of course the denial seems to grow over time too.

What are the characters like?

Every character in the book is damaged, and everyone is pointing fingers at themselves and others. The main question as you dive into this family and each of their lives is: Will they ever look inward and start asking themselves about the lives they really want to lead?

Do you recommend this for a buddy or book club read?

Yes! I read this with Erin and Casey, and I’m so thankful that I had them to discuss all the different types of crazy in this story as I read. There really is so much to mull over when it comes to each of the characters and the directions their lives seem to be going and have been.

Do I need to know mythology to read this?

Nope! Truly you don't need to know ancient myths and legends. You can just read this as a family drama, because you don’t need to know anything about Greek mythology in order to know and recognize the ability of families to just plain screw everything up. As I read, not once did I even think about the correlation to any myth or god/demigod. I was just there for the story.

How as the pace?

Fast! This can seem like a heavy read, but it’s just too captivating to put down.

Do you recommend this book?

Go get it now! This debut lives up to the hype and all the awards it has won. It may be a family drama, but it is really about forgiveness and change.

Thank you Doubleday Books for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.