Ecstasy
Ivy Pochoda
(Author)
This title will be released on
June 17, 2025
21,000+ Reviews
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Description
A deliciously dark horror reimagining of a Greek tragedy, by Ivy Pochoda, winner of the LA Times Book Prize.
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.
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.
Product Details
| Publisher | G.P. Putnam's Sons |
| Publish Date | June 17, 2025 |
| Pages | 224 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Hardback |
| EAN/UPC | 9780593851173 |
| Dimensions | 8.0 X 5.2 X 0.6 inches | 0.7 pounds |
About the Author
Ivy Pochoda is the author of the critically acclaimed novels Wonder Valley, Visitation Street, These Women, and Sing Her Down which won the LA Times Book Prize. She won the 2018 Strand Critics Award for Best Novel and the Prix Page America in France, and has been a finalist for the the Edgar Award, among other awards. For many years, Ivy taught creative writing at Studio 526 in Los Angeles's Skid Row. She is currently a professor of creative writing at the University of California Riverside-Palm Desert low-residency MFA program. She lives in Los Angeles.
Reviews
"Ecstasy is a lyrical, fevered, and furious re-imagining of a classic Greek tragedy. Tense and phantasmagoric, the novel sinks its considerable teeth into the patriarchal 21st century capitalist machine. And gloriously, no one is spared." —Paul Tremblay, author of the New York Times bestseller Horror Movie
“There’s been no shortage of feminist retellings of ancient myths and classics in recent years, and this next one definitely deserves a place on your shelf. With elements of horror and suspense, it revisits Euripides’ The Bacchae, following a woman drawn in by a cult of women who appear to be living much more freely than she’s been allowed to.” —Marie Claire
“Pochoda’s turn into horror and mythology will bring ample rewards to her readers.” —Crime Reads
“Described as both ‘hallucinatory’ and ‘addictive,’ with a synopsis that gives the perfect whiff of Suspiria vibes, Ecstasy promises an exploration of themes like female identity and desire. . . [A] killer one-sitting summer read.” —The Lineup
"Fierce and fearless, Ecstasy is a tempest of a novel that reminds women that we are born forces of nature and woe be upon anyone who would stand in our way. Ivy Pochoda again proves she's a literary priestess of the highest order." —Alma Katsu, author of The Hunger
“Ecstasy is a stunning, hallucinatory trip of a novel that explores female friendship, the dark side of motherhood and liminal experience. This addictive novel is an explosion of the feminine unbound. Pure, primal Pochoda. Drop everything and read it now.” —Danielle Trussoni, New York Times bestselling author of The Puzzle Box
“There’s been no shortage of feminist retellings of ancient myths and classics in recent years, and this next one definitely deserves a place on your shelf. With elements of horror and suspense, it revisits Euripides’ The Bacchae, following a woman drawn in by a cult of women who appear to be living much more freely than she’s been allowed to.” —Marie Claire
“Pochoda’s turn into horror and mythology will bring ample rewards to her readers.” —Crime Reads
“Described as both ‘hallucinatory’ and ‘addictive,’ with a synopsis that gives the perfect whiff of Suspiria vibes, Ecstasy promises an exploration of themes like female identity and desire. . . [A] killer one-sitting summer read.” —The Lineup
"Fierce and fearless, Ecstasy is a tempest of a novel that reminds women that we are born forces of nature and woe be upon anyone who would stand in our way. Ivy Pochoda again proves she's a literary priestess of the highest order." —Alma Katsu, author of The Hunger
“Ecstasy is a stunning, hallucinatory trip of a novel that explores female friendship, the dark side of motherhood and liminal experience. This addictive novel is an explosion of the feminine unbound. Pure, primal Pochoda. Drop everything and read it now.” —Danielle Trussoni, New York Times bestselling author of The Puzzle Box
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