Aristophanes’ ancient Greek play Lysistrata follows the titular character who inspires the women of Greece to withhold sex from their men in order to bring a war to end. The play is satirical and has some feminist interpretations, although the exact feminist nature of the play is often called into question due to its historical context for its idea of satire. However, several hundred years after Lysistrata was first performed, the tale does resonate for some of its messages about the unintended consequences of conflict, the relationships between men and women, and the necessity for communication. 

Thus, when a modern retelling like Martti Nelson’s Lyssa Strata comes along, it allows the story’s original premise to be reexamined and to gain further humor from its premise. In Lyssa Strata, the Peloponnesian War is replaced with the Town Council election for Athena, Massachusetts. Librarian Lyssa Strata seeks to repeal the town’s laws that demonstrate over 400 years-worth of misogyny, superstition, and insanity. When Lyssa decides to run for the seat to hopefully be the first woman on the Council, her campaign gains momentum when she and the women of Athena decide to enact a sex ban in the two weeks leading to the election. What follows is a town of over 800 people descending into progressive chaos, as the men fall apart when their entitlement doesn’t get them what they want, and the women gain back the autonomy that was sucked out of them from small town living.

Nelson’s writing is very sharp and quick, with many humorous lines being thrown at the reader quickly. The narration slowly lets information about Athena out, making the reader realize just how backwards this town is where pirates are permitted to wear red undergarments but not women. It also helps that the central cast is dynamic and interesting enough to allow this humor to emerge naturally. Lyssa begins the novel a bit of an introvert who would rather talk about random historical trivia, but her narration and speech becomes more assertive and clever as the story progresses. This means the story moves fairly quickly, but with the amount of humor put into the story, it means the reader feels more inclined to read more and to allow themselves to hone in on the details, like how bizarre it is that any gathering of four or more women is automatically declared a coven.

Of course, what aids in the satire of the tale is just how believable the entire story is. Yes, it can be weird to see Lyssa and her friend Misty put into stocks for the crime of being a coven in public, but it’s still a case of male authority figures abusing their power to humiliate and demean women. The laws are on the absurd end, but any lawyer or law student can tell you how certain actions are technically illegal because no one bothered to repeal the law, even if it’s not enforced, and how anyone on a power trip could potentially exploit that. 

Even some of the reasons why women join Lyssa’s movement are grounded in reality. One joins because her husband made her keep pumping out children in an attempt to have a son and then left the care of their four daughters entirely to his wife. Misty’s husband often emotionally abuses and manipulates her because he married her for his satisfaction and takes more than he gives. And of course, there are those women who join the opposition because they benefit from misogyny and from going along with the powerful male figures, such as the hideously-dressed, tone-deaf Kelli, Lyssa’s nemesis and the wife of her opponent, who promotes these laws because it keeps her husband wealthy and ensures their life remains comfortable even if its built on the suffering of women, their mill’s employees, and the townspeople caught in between.

Lyssa Strata may never be the book of the revolution, but it’s a fun, refreshing tale of a woman trying to make the world better for herself and her sex by implementing change where she sees it can be applied. Nelson’s writing is hysterical and empowering, and leaves the reader feeling stronger than they were before reading. Maybe you will want to run for local government after reading it, maybe you’ll want to engage in civil disobedience against a corrupt business owner, or maybe you just want to drink wine in a hot tub with your best girlfriend. Either way, Lyssa Strata offers all kinds of ways to feel powerful as a woman, and leaves plenty of hilarious lines and moments to stay in your mind as you go about living your best life.