Fruit of the Dead
A Novel
By Rachel Lyon
Read by Carlotta Brentan and Joy Osmanski
Table of Contents
About The Book
* “Mesmerizing.” —Town & Country * “Twisty and unsettling.” —People * “Ancient Greece meets Succession by way of Emma Cline…deliciously dark.” —Ruth Gilligan *
A “superb…refreshing” (The New York Times Book Review) reimagining of the myth of Persephone and Demeter set on a lush private island, exploring themes of addiction and sex, family, independence, and who holds the power in a modern underworld.
Camp counselor Cory Ansel, eighteen and aimless, afraid to face her high-strung single mother’s disappointment, is no longer sure where home is when the father of one of her campers offers an alternative. The CEO of a pharmaceutical company, Rolo Picazo is wealthy, divorced, and magnetic. He is also intoxicated by Cory. When Rolo offers her a job, Cory quiets an internal warning and allows herself to be ferried to his private island. Plied with luxury and the opiates manufactured by his company, she tells herself she’s in charge. Her mother, Emer, head of a teetering agricultural NGO, senses otherwise. With her daughter seemingly vanished, Emer crosses land and sea to heed a cry for help that only she can hear.
Alternating between the two women’s perspectives, Fruit of the Dead incorporates its mythic inspiration with a light touch and devastating precision. The result is a tale that explores love, control, obliteration, and America’s late-capitalist mythos. Lyon’s reinvention of Persephone and Demeter’s story makes for a haunting, electric novel that readers will not soon forget.
A “superb…refreshing” (The New York Times Book Review) reimagining of the myth of Persephone and Demeter set on a lush private island, exploring themes of addiction and sex, family, independence, and who holds the power in a modern underworld.
Camp counselor Cory Ansel, eighteen and aimless, afraid to face her high-strung single mother’s disappointment, is no longer sure where home is when the father of one of her campers offers an alternative. The CEO of a pharmaceutical company, Rolo Picazo is wealthy, divorced, and magnetic. He is also intoxicated by Cory. When Rolo offers her a job, Cory quiets an internal warning and allows herself to be ferried to his private island. Plied with luxury and the opiates manufactured by his company, she tells herself she’s in charge. Her mother, Emer, head of a teetering agricultural NGO, senses otherwise. With her daughter seemingly vanished, Emer crosses land and sea to heed a cry for help that only she can hear.
Alternating between the two women’s perspectives, Fruit of the Dead incorporates its mythic inspiration with a light touch and devastating precision. The result is a tale that explores love, control, obliteration, and America’s late-capitalist mythos. Lyon’s reinvention of Persephone and Demeter’s story makes for a haunting, electric novel that readers will not soon forget.
Reading Group Guide
This reading group guide for FRUIT OF THE DEAD includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.
Introduction
Cory Ansel, fresh out of high school, working at a summer camp, isn’t sure what to do next. With no college or career prospects on the horizon, she dreads the idea of returning home to her disappointed mother, Emer, the head of an agricultural NGO. So, when one of her camper’s parents offers her a lucrative job babysitting his kids on a private island (all she needs to do is sign an NDA), she takes the opportunity, albeit with some trepidation. The man is the CEO of a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company under fire for its role in a national crisis of addiction, but Cory doesn’t know that. All she knows is that he is mysterious, wealthy, and deeply interested in her. When Cory drops out of touch, Emer can’t help but feel that something is wrong. She sidelines her career to rescue her daughter and hunt down the man responsible for her disappearance, at all costs.
Topics & Questions for Discussion
1. Fruit of the Dead reimagines the myth of Persephone, goddess of spring, and Demeter, goddess of the harvest. Discuss the parallels between the novel and the original myth as well as the differences. Did you notice other references to Greek mythology in the novel?
2. The narration alternates between the close third-person perspective, with Cory’s narrative, and the first-person voice of her mother, Emer. How does this perspective-swapping affect your understanding of the story? Of the two key characters?
3. There is a beautiful poetic quality to the chapter titles. Discuss how they add to your interpretation of what happens within those sections. Are there hidden meanings to glean?
4. The novel opens with a summer camp performance of The Wizard of Oz. Discuss the author’s choice to open the book with this popular cultural reference. How does this set the scene for what’s to come?
5. Early on, Cory advises her charge Spenser that “sometimes it’s good to do what scares you,” which he parrots back to her when his father invites her to dinner. What do you make of this advice? How does this suggestion play out in the novel?
6. How does Cory’s impression of Rolo fluctuate in her interactions with him? She often views him with a mix of desire and disgust. What do you make of this combination? Does it seem one instinct is truer in her than the other?
7. When Rolo offers Cory a taste of the drug Granadone for the first time, he says to her, “Your choice, of course. Up to you, always” (page 80). Think about the choices Cory makes and discuss the freedom of decision-making in the novel, or the lack thereof.
8. Though Cory is a legal adult at eighteen years old, we are often reminded of her youthfulness and naiveté. How does the author demonstrate this push and pull between childhood and adulthood? What is your perspective on Cory’s level of maturity?
9. Motherhood is an essential theme in Fruit of the Dead. At one point, Emer notes that her “fear has always been a precondition of [Cory’s] life” (page 161). What kind of mother is Emer? Did you find her actions relatable?
10. As Cory takes increasing amounts of Granadone, she begins to lose sense of time, leaving her “suspended in a kind of eternal present” (page 198). How does the author communicate this sense of timelessness and disorientation?
11. Cricket, Rolo’s beautiful ex-wife, enters the scene in the second half of the novel. How does her presence affect the relationship between Cory and Rolo? What truths does she help bring to the surface?
12. Both Emer’s and Rolo’s professional lives are under fire due to issues with their companies’ products—“one severely blighted, the other dangerously profuse” (page 291). Compare and contrast the way that these characters handle their respective work crises. How does this parallel contribute to your understanding of these characters?
13. Consider the following statements as you discuss the final passage of the book: “The end is for parables and fairy tales. The end is no realer than a lullaby” (page 300).
Enhance Your Book Club
1. The author references several well-known tales besides the myth of Persephone. Consider watching or reading these works and talk about how they relate to Fruit of the Dead.
2. While on Rolo’s island, Cory has no access to the outside world. Unplug for a weekend and ruminate on the experience. Is it unsettling? Is it freeing?
3. Read Rachel Lyon’s first novel, Self-Portrait with Boy, and discuss any overlapping themes—freedom and betrayal, motherhood and loss, ambition and integrity—it shares with Fruit of the Dead.
Introduction
Cory Ansel, fresh out of high school, working at a summer camp, isn’t sure what to do next. With no college or career prospects on the horizon, she dreads the idea of returning home to her disappointed mother, Emer, the head of an agricultural NGO. So, when one of her camper’s parents offers her a lucrative job babysitting his kids on a private island (all she needs to do is sign an NDA), she takes the opportunity, albeit with some trepidation. The man is the CEO of a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company under fire for its role in a national crisis of addiction, but Cory doesn’t know that. All she knows is that he is mysterious, wealthy, and deeply interested in her. When Cory drops out of touch, Emer can’t help but feel that something is wrong. She sidelines her career to rescue her daughter and hunt down the man responsible for her disappearance, at all costs.
Topics & Questions for Discussion
1. Fruit of the Dead reimagines the myth of Persephone, goddess of spring, and Demeter, goddess of the harvest. Discuss the parallels between the novel and the original myth as well as the differences. Did you notice other references to Greek mythology in the novel?
2. The narration alternates between the close third-person perspective, with Cory’s narrative, and the first-person voice of her mother, Emer. How does this perspective-swapping affect your understanding of the story? Of the two key characters?
3. There is a beautiful poetic quality to the chapter titles. Discuss how they add to your interpretation of what happens within those sections. Are there hidden meanings to glean?
4. The novel opens with a summer camp performance of The Wizard of Oz. Discuss the author’s choice to open the book with this popular cultural reference. How does this set the scene for what’s to come?
5. Early on, Cory advises her charge Spenser that “sometimes it’s good to do what scares you,” which he parrots back to her when his father invites her to dinner. What do you make of this advice? How does this suggestion play out in the novel?
6. How does Cory’s impression of Rolo fluctuate in her interactions with him? She often views him with a mix of desire and disgust. What do you make of this combination? Does it seem one instinct is truer in her than the other?
7. When Rolo offers Cory a taste of the drug Granadone for the first time, he says to her, “Your choice, of course. Up to you, always” (page 80). Think about the choices Cory makes and discuss the freedom of decision-making in the novel, or the lack thereof.
8. Though Cory is a legal adult at eighteen years old, we are often reminded of her youthfulness and naiveté. How does the author demonstrate this push and pull between childhood and adulthood? What is your perspective on Cory’s level of maturity?
9. Motherhood is an essential theme in Fruit of the Dead. At one point, Emer notes that her “fear has always been a precondition of [Cory’s] life” (page 161). What kind of mother is Emer? Did you find her actions relatable?
10. As Cory takes increasing amounts of Granadone, she begins to lose sense of time, leaving her “suspended in a kind of eternal present” (page 198). How does the author communicate this sense of timelessness and disorientation?
11. Cricket, Rolo’s beautiful ex-wife, enters the scene in the second half of the novel. How does her presence affect the relationship between Cory and Rolo? What truths does she help bring to the surface?
12. Both Emer’s and Rolo’s professional lives are under fire due to issues with their companies’ products—“one severely blighted, the other dangerously profuse” (page 291). Compare and contrast the way that these characters handle their respective work crises. How does this parallel contribute to your understanding of these characters?
13. Consider the following statements as you discuss the final passage of the book: “The end is for parables and fairy tales. The end is no realer than a lullaby” (page 300).
Enhance Your Book Club
1. The author references several well-known tales besides the myth of Persephone. Consider watching or reading these works and talk about how they relate to Fruit of the Dead.
2. While on Rolo’s island, Cory has no access to the outside world. Unplug for a weekend and ruminate on the experience. Is it unsettling? Is it freeing?
3. Read Rachel Lyon’s first novel, Self-Portrait with Boy, and discuss any overlapping themes—freedom and betrayal, motherhood and loss, ambition and integrity—it shares with Fruit of the Dead.
About The Author
Photograph by Pieter M. van Hattem
Rachel Lyon
Rachel Lyon is the author of Fruit of the Dead and Self-Portrait with Boy, a finalist for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize. Her short stories have appeared in One Story, The Rumpus, Electric Literature, and other publications. A teacher of creative writing at various institutions, most recently Bennington College, Rachel lives in western Massachusetts with her husband and two young children.
About The Readers
Carlotta Brentan
Joy Osmanski
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (March 5, 2024)
- Runtime: 10 hours and 46 minutes
- ISBN13: 9781797176703
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Fruit of the Dead Unabridged Audio Download 9781797176703
- Author Photo (jpg): Rachel Lyon Photograph by Pieter M. van Hattem(0.1 MB)
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