'The Porpoise' Is A Rich — But Wandering — Read

Mark Haddon's latest novel, The Porpoise, inhabits a strange interstitial space between myth, fantasy, tragedy, and adventure. Among other things, it's a reimagining of the ancient legend of Antiochus, a king who develops an incestuous relationship with his daughter following the death of his wife and is ultimately exposed by Apollonius of Tyre, an adventurer dealing with his own set of troubles. Elegant and full of vivid descriptions, pulls that mythology into the present with intertwined narratives about fathers, daughters and the men who threaten their aberrant relationships.