When I started to read The Cassandra Complex, I found myself, surprisingly, at the intersection of two different aspects of my life – my passion for the ancient Greco-Roman world and the reality of being the father of a five-year-old boy who has been fairly recently diagnosed with autism. The Cassandra Complex would not be my typical choice when picking up a novel to read, but I must admit that it was thoroughly enjoyable. Cassandra Penelope Dankworth, the daughter of a Classics professor, is autistic and often uses myth to cope with and to interpret the complexities of the world. She finds herself on what might arguably be one of the worst days of her life – she has just been fired, dumped by her boyfriend, and her favorite cafe has run out of her favorite muffin. She has the unique ability of being able to go back in time to relive the past and yet this unique ability does not allow her to fix the disasters that she faces. Cassandra is an interesting character who has difficulty interpreting the world around her, connecting with others, and ultimately deals with a lot of social awkwardness. Her way of dealing with these struggles to connect and to interpret the world around is often mediated through her knowledge of classical mythology. This book is not your typical modern retelling of classical mythology, however; it is highly enjoyable and to be recommended for anyone interested in mythology and neurodiversity. It is published in the UK under the tile The Cassandra Complex and in the US under the title Cassandra in Reverse.
Open access
