What Remains

5 Star Review 

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Editorial Book Review:

By SM Harrison

Erryn Lee's What Remains is a work that is both intellectually engaging and emotionally inspiring, showcasing her exceptional mastery of historical imagination and narrative craft. She establishes herself as a writer who is profoundly attuned to the interplay of the past and present through the creation of this novel, which seamlessly integrates two timelines into a resonant whole.

Erryn's literary style is characterized by a delicate balance between descriptive richness and narrative momentum, resulting in a prose that is both elegant and clear. She utilizes vivid detail to captivate readers in both ancient Rome and modern excavations, creating an immersive experience that is not overpowering. Her transitions between eras are executed with fluid precision, establishing a rhythm that maintains emotional investment and intrigue in both storylines.

What Remains is fundamentally a reflection on the truths that are concealed—sometimes literally—below the surface of history, as well as memory and legacy. Erryn analyzes the concepts of power, vulnerability, trust, and betrayal from the perspective of the forensic anthropologist Tori in the present and Thalia in the Roman past. Emphasizing the reverberation of personal choices over time, the juxtaposition of excavation and lived experience reveals the continuity of human resilience and struggle.

The book's impact exceeds its intricate plotting. It inspires readers to reflect on the process by which history is not only discovered but also experienced, and how the relics of the past serve as mirrors for the present. The dual narrative stimulates both intellectual curiosity and emotional depth, encouraging contemplation of the unseen connections that shape the lives of individuals over the course of centuries, as well as identity and justice.

The significance of What Remains is its assertion that history is not inert. Erryn serves as a reminder that the artifacts we discover, whether they are bones in a latrine or stories that have been preserved in memory, contain voices that must be heard. By animating these voices, she encourages readers to contemplate the ways in which love, fear, and courage transcend time.

Erryn Lee offers more than a story; she offers a profound engagement with the essence of what it means to endure and to be remembered. What Remains leaves the reader both unsettled and deeply moved, a testament to the enduring power of fiction to illuminate truth.

About the Author

Erryn Lee

Erryn Lee has spent most of her life between the covers of books, her love for historical fiction drew her to a career as an English and History teacher, where she enjoys sharing her passion for both language and the past with young adults (at least until she needs to give it up to write full time).

When not teaching or writing she is deeply immersed in research and studying her Masters in History. Erryn lives with her husband, a fluctuating number of horses and three bossy cavoodles on a horse farm in the picturesque central west of NSW, Australia.