Dear Hyacinthus: A Novel by Sophia G. Ammari

"This is what they will not tell you about loving a god." Raised among Spartan soldiers, Hyacinthus survives on discipline and silence, clinging to fleeting moments of warmth. But when fate severs his first bond of love, grief hollows him into something unrecognizable. Years later, Apollo enters his life―radiant, distant, and enticing. Drawn towards the god's light, Hyacinthus dares to imagine a future not wholly defined by blood and absence. But divine desire casts long shadows, and some gazes are not meant to linger. Dear Hyacinthus follows a star-crossed prince long before the poets remember him―through grief, kinship, and the slow rebuilding of a scarred heart learning what it means to love. By the time Apollo turns his gaze toward him, Hyacinthus is prepared to give up everything.