An Odyssey

Daniel Mendelsohn invited his 81-year-old retired scientist father to audit his Homer seminar at Bard College, and what followed became this extraordinary book: part literary criticism, part family memoir, and ultimately an elegy. Father and son argue over what the Odyssey means in the classroom while quietly working out what they mean to each other — a process that culminates in a Mediterranean cruise retracing the mythic voyage during the last year of Jay's life. Prize-winning in multiple countries and named a best book of 2017 by NPR and others, it is subtle, emotionally precise, and deeply moving. Some familiarity with Homer helps, but the human story is the real subject.