I grabbed pomegranates because it's shortlisted in the 2023 World Fantasy Awards for Best Novella, and I'm glad I did. While the story didn't quite hit for me, it was still incredibly interesting and well written.  Plus, it's a version of the Persephone myth that hasn't annoyed me.

It's hard to summarize this novella more than the official synopsis does, because doing anything more than that would give too much away. Essentially, massive climate change and the near end of the human race are a backdrop for the stories of Persephone, Demeter, and their fucked up Greek gods family. This novella plays around with interesting versions of the goddesses and their history, making for a pretty unique spin on the Greek gods. It's visceral in how it portrays female rage and how each character deals with it in their own way. 

Priya Sharma is a very talented writer and that shines through. However, some of the choices made in the way the character narratives are told didn't quite work for me. I loved the interspersed Chorus sections, but I disliked how confusing it was jumping from Bear to Persephone (at times I couldn't tell who was narrating as we got back into it), and Demeter's storyline was alright.

There are some absolutely lovely, lyrical passages in this. The emotional heft and theming absolutely shines through despite my issues. I think this is worth a read, if sounds at all interesting. It may work for someone else much better than it did for me.