The Porpoise

A fantastical new novel--a modern-day retelling of Shakespeare's Pericles--from the acclaimed, bestselling author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

When his pregnant wife is killed in a plane crash, the unimaginably wealthy Philippe becomes obsessed with the safety of his surviving daughter, Angelica. Over time, his concern morphs into something more sinister and grotesque, until a young man named Darius, visiting Philippe with a business proposition, encounters Angelica and intuits their secret. As Angelica comes to terms with a life of imprisonment on her father's estate, Darius morphs into the mythical Pericles, voyaging through a mythic world. In a bravura feat of storytelling, Haddon recounts Pericles' many exploits in thrilling fashion, mining the meaning of the old legends while creating parallels with the monstrous modern world Angelica inhabits. As profound as it is entertaining, The Porpoise mixes myth and meaning to speak deeply to the current moment.