The Cassandra, Sharma Shields
The Cassandra, Sharma Shields
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The Cassandra
A Novel

Author: Sharma Shields

Narrator: Sophie Amoss

Unabridged: 10 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/12/2019


Synopsis

The Cassandra follows a woman who goes to work in a top secret research facility during WWII, only to be tormented by visions of what the mission will mean for humankind.

Mildred Groves is an unusual young woman. Gifted and cursed with the ability to see the future, Mildred runs away from home to take a secretary position at the Hanford Research Center in the early 1940s. Hanford, a massive construction camp on the banks of the Columbia River in remote South Central Washington, exists to test and manufacture a mysterious product that will aid the war effort. Only the top generals and scientists know that this product is processed plutonium, for use in the first atomic bombs.

Mildred is delighted, at first, to be part of something larger than herself after a lifetime spent as an outsider. But her new life takes a dark turn when she starts to have prophetic dreams about what will become of humankind if the project is successful. As the men she works for come closer to achieving their goals, her visions intensify to a nightmarish pitch, and she eventually risks everything to question those in power, putting her own physical and mental health in jeopardy. Inspired by the classic Greek myth, this 20th century reimagining of Cassandra's story is based on a real WWII compound that the author researched meticulously.

A timely audiobook about patriarchy and militancy, The Cassandra uses both legend and history to look deep into man's capacity for destruction, and the resolve and compassion it takes to challenge the powerful.

About Sharma Shields

Sharma Shields is the author of a short story collection, Favorite Monster and three novels, The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac, The Cassandra, and Duckling. Sharma’s short stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times, Electric Lit, Kenyon Review, Iowa Review and elsewhere and have garnered such prizes as the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award, an Artist Trust Fellowship, the Washington State Book Award, and the Autumn House Fiction Prize. Sharma has worked in independent bookstores and public libraries throughout Washington State and is currently the Writing Education Specialist for Spokane Public Library. In autumn of 2025, Sharma received a Humanities Washington Changemaker Award for her library service and contributions to the Inland Northwest literary community.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Julie

This was a most unusual novel. I loved the author’s writing style. It was at first hard to warm up to the protagonist but before long I found myself inside the character’s head, almost a Being John Malkovich thing without being spit out on the jersey turnpike. This novel told of a powerful and chill......more

Goodreads review by Doug

I really loved Sharma's first novel (The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac) and though this didn't quite reach such dizzying heights, I still felt it was a strong and for the most part, enjoyable read. Although it doesn't hue as closely to its mythological underpinnings as some other recent offerings (Home......more