Another book inspired by Greek Classicism, but this isn't the mythological retelling you might've been expecting...

Framed within our narrator's study of ancient prophecy, what we find in Delphi is a series of vignettes chronicling a period none of us could've predicted: 2020/21. As each chapter introduces us to a new method of ancient divination, we also relive the chaos and the clamour of those early unpredictable days of the pandemic.

When the lockdowns begin, our overwhelmed narrator struggles to keep her head above water, spiralling deeper into isolation with each passing day. Home is no longer a place of refuge, but a prison. Family is no longer a source of comfort, but constant anxiety. In the bewildering uncertainty and hypocrisy of it all, she desperately craves reassurance: a promise of safety. But with her mind hurtling between the past and the future, she neglects to notice the dangers inching into her present.

I absolutely adored this. It reads like a scathing hybrid of Sarah Moss' The Fell and Jenny Offill's Weather. With its glorious twist of Classics, it may well be the most distinctive, engaging book I've had the joy to read so far this year. Pollard writes with boundless empathy, eviscerating intelligence and a deliciously dry humour. She reminds us of all the seemingly endless crises we endured over those years, but she also begs us to be vigilant in every moment.

Beyond being an extraordinary documentation of pandemic experiences, Delphi is a compelling meeting of ancient and contemporary worlds. If you share my soft spot for mythology, Classicism or mysticism, this is one you really won't want to miss.