Till We Have Faces

C.S. Lewis brings us a novel of Orual, The Queen of Glome. When Orual was a little girl, the only company she had to keep was her irritating sister, Redival, and her father, the tempestuous King. However, her life changed dramatically with the introduction of Fox, one of her father's slaves, into her life. Fox became her only true comfort, and Orual affectionately began to call him "Grandfather." Fox taught her to think in the ways of the Greeks, how to regard the Gods and everything else that has happened in her life. Soon after the arrival of Fox, the King married and brought into the world the most beautiful child, "Istra," which translates to Psyche. As Orual's family has partial blood of the Gods, Psyche too has been touched. It does not take long before the citizens of Glome begin to refer to her as a goddess. While Psyche is beautiful, Orual is extremely homely. Psyche makes the God Ungit jealous; therefore, as punishment, there has been little yield in the way of crops. The Priest of Ungit declares that in order for the citizens of Glome to be prevented from starving, there must be a sacrifice. It is the matter of this sacrifice that will change the soul and the life of Orual forever.