“[Ecstasy] revamps ‘The Bacchae’ into a contemporary feminist horror story. . . [that] explodes into hallucinatory violence, blinding bloodlust and outbreaks of primal madness. . . Pochoda has been grouped with such writers as Jonathan Lethem, Richard Price, Walter Mosley, Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane. . . Joan Didion is likewise evident, in Pochoda’s ability to turn sunlight dark or to capture the universe in a traffic jam.” —​ New York Times

‍Lena wants her life back. Her wealthy, controlling, humorless husband has just died, and now she contends with her controlling, humorless son, Drew. Lena lands in Naxos with her best friend in tow for the unveiling of her son’s, pet project–the luxurious Agape Villas.

Years of marriage amongst the wealthy elite has whittled Lena’s spirit into rope and sinew, smothered by tasteful cocktail dresses and unending small talk. On Naxos she yearns to rediscover her true nature, remember the exuberant dancer and party girl she once was, but Drew tightens his grip, keeping her cloistered inside the hotel, demanding that she fall in line.

Lena is intrigued by a group of women living in tents on the beach in front of the Agape. She can feel their drums at night, hear their seductive leader calling her to dance. Soon she’ll find that an ancient God stirs on the beach, awakening dark desires of women across the island. The only questions left will be whether Lena will join them, and what it will cost her.

Ecstasy is a riveting, darkly poetic, one-sitting read about empowerment, desire, and what happens when women reject the roles set out for them

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