Like other novels that adopt the voice of a female relative of a famous male in order to subvert or expand a traditional narrative, The Sweet Girl allows the reader to approach Aristotle’s world on different terms, and in doing so, renders it vital and accessible.

Perhaps in a previous life Annabel Lyon was a commando, a tactical expert on surprise attacks and ambushes. I’m inclined to speculate along this line because in her current incarnation as a distinguished writer of short stories and novels Lyon’s defining trait is her gift for unfolding stories in an unexpected way, for carefully camouflaging her narrative intent so that even the most alert reader is constantly caught off guard by unexpected plot turns and disclosures about her characters.....