by Pat Barker, like its predecessor The Silence of the Girls, takes the male-dominated events of the Trojan War and retells them through the eyes of the women who watch the city of Troy crumble under the force of the Greeks. The effect is a visceral story, told in spare, modern language that strips away the glory and prestige of myth to reveal a deeply human experience. Barker, who has written extensively about World War I in previous novels, does an excellent job showing the physical, psychological and emotional toll of war.