Babylonia by Costanza Casati: Review

Semiramis, a woman who has haunted the pages of history for thousands of years. Nobody knows if she existed or if she was created by Diodorus to explain a concept he could never quite understand. 

Regardless, she has fascinated, horrified and intrigued for generations and now she gets to give voice to her own truth; all thanks to Costanza Casati.

Casati had delivered a stunning debut in Clytemnestra and now with Babylonia she has done it again.

Semiramis is brought to life. We see a girl abandoned by her mother, hated by her adopted father, abused by the villagers; a girl desperately seeking love whilst also trying to overcome her struggles.

We see her develop from a thief into the governor’s wife when she marries Onnes and we see how she develops an understanding of the cold-hearted governor in a way that no one else has. 

Her life as a villager has taught her to play the game in a way that nobody else can. It makes her ruthless, thirsting for knowledge and power. At times, she comes across as cold and uncaring. Almost like her husband. But then a flash of light shines through and she becomes human again.

Her relationship with Ninus—Shamshi Adad V— goes from one of mutual loathing to a burning passion over the duration of the book. This love triangle, for that is what it is, is heightened by the fact that Onnes and Ninus were themselves close once. But as Ninus and Semiramis become closer, Onnes’ coldness turns to rage.

The Greeks loved their tragedy and here, Casati brings it in full force. Heartbreak, betrayal, rage and finally love. All of these emotions and feelings play out over the course of the story, hooking you in and keeping you glued to the page; desperate to find out what happens next.

For me, whilst Semiramis is the main character and her story is compelling, I enjoyed Ninus. He resonated. A tortured soul trying desperately to be a good man in a world where being good is looked down upon and often gets you killed. 

His ending is tragic and is the one quibble I had with the story, but we can’t always get what we want.

A fantastic story by Casati and one you need to pick up when it is released on 4th July via Michael Joseph. You can buy it here: Pre-order