The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

I love Margaret Atwood more than is normal or healthy. I didn't like the Robber Bride (but I didn't used to like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs either so maybe it's time to revisit that) but she is just so good. The Penelopiad is the flip side of The Odyssey, and it's lyrical and lovely and eerie and sad. Penelope tells the story from Hades, with an unflinching objectivity and some deep regrets. While her acquaintances have drunk from the river Lethe to forget their past lives and begin anew, Penelope clings to her only life, eternally aware and ashamed, learning about Vegas and Liposuction from her vexingly perfect rival, Helen. This awareness makes her frank and likable, and the story is heartbreakingly good.