The Golden Mean (2009)

"'Moderation and mediocrity are not the same. Think of the extremes as caricatures, if that helps. The mean, what we seek, is that which is not a caricature.'"

Annabel Lyon's much acclaimed (and rightly so) The Golden Mean is the story of two great men: Aristotle and Alexander the Great. It is told from Aristotle's point-of-view and explores the period of time in which he was a tutor to the young Alexander, at the time the heir apparent to the powerful King Philip. Both characters are intelligent and ambitious and frequently caught between competing elements and desires. Alexander is caught between his parents, King Philip and Olympias, both strong-willed, dominating characters whose aims are completely at odds with each other (and who hate and distrust each other). He is also caught between the kind of man his father expects him to become and the kind of man that Aristotle believes he can become - such a man who might be the happy medium between Philip and Aristotle himself.

Aristotle, meanwhile, aside from being caught between the contemporary image of what a man should be (an athletic warrior) and the kind of man that he is (a studious man more interested in discovering the whys of the world around him than in having that world under his own authority and control), is also caught between his fascination with his young pupil and his ambition to run Plato's Academy in Athens. He also has to tow a fine political line and is often intensely aware of the balance he must strike between teaching Alexander and respecting the social hierarchy that defines not only their relationship, but his relationship to Philip as well. From beginning to end, Lyon is able to synthesize a number of different social and class nuances to provide a deep and meaningful portrait of the philosopher and his world.

Throughout The Golden Mean Lyon evokes a distinct and elegant picture of antiquity and expertly crafts the characters and their relationships. Lyon's prose style, which juxtaposes a more modern vernacular against the setting, is highly engaging and reminded me quite a bit of Douglas Glover's great 2003 novel Elle, which employs a similar narrative dynamic. Her prose style in combination with the absolutely captivating story makes The Golden Mean a pleasure to read. Simply put, it's a great book.