RaveReview 31 (UK)This tale of modern metamorphosis, like The End We Start From, treads the line between the earthly and transcendent. On one level it is the psychological excavation of a suburban marriage on the rocks, on another, a spell to summon primeval feminine power. Above all, it is prose informed by poetry. Hunter is also a poet and her lyrical voice bewitches ... The impotence of women, engendered by the parts they must traditionally play in life, is at the heart of the novel. Lucy comes from generations of frustrated women, their female creativity turned against them ... The Harpy is a brilliant and eviscerating work of literary fiction. It should come as no surprise that the film rights have already been snapped up by Benedict Cumberbatch. What of the taut grace of Hunter’s words can be preserved cinematically remains to be seen.
