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The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Ember, January 30, 2013

This is a lyrical, brilliant book, all the more impressive for being a debut novel. Miller is a master of making even the simplest moments compelling and lovely, and her take on some of the most important scenes from the Iliad are even more compelling.

The Song of Achilles is told from the perspective of Patroclus, Achilles' lover and constant companion, beginning with Patroclus's childhood. He is an unusual main character in that he rarely speaks about his own strengths at all, preferring to cast the poorest possible light on himself in favor of praising Achilles. The two grow up together, learn together, and finally, inevitably, go to war together. Miller does an excellent job of tempering your knowledge of what will happen with a real joy in the moments leading up to that foreseen climax, filling her characters with just the right amounts of doubt and surety. There is a real pleasure in the unexpected details--the time Achilles and Patroclus spend with each other, the quieter interactions with other characters, the setting, and the way that the supernatural features. The gods are real and present, but this is emphatically about the humans in this war.

For those who know the story, don't worry, the issue with the ending is expertly resolved so that we see the fates of both main characters.

My only problem with this book is that the romance between Achilles and Patroclus is presented to the rest of the characters in a very 21st century way. It is moving and profound--but not at all historically accurate. Achilles and Patroclus were almost certainly lovers, and almost certainly very few people would have thought it strange, let alone wrong. There were probably many pairs of male lovers within the Greek camp. I don't know if this was a decision of the author or the editor/publisher, so I can't get too upset, but this modern retelling does a disservice to the Ancient Greeks. The Greeks had a very different understanding of sex and sexuality, and Miller simplifies too much. It's the only reason I've marked The Song of Achilles down.

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The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Ember, January 30, 2013

This is a lyrical, brilliant book, all the more impressive for being a debut novel. Miller is a master of making even the simplest moments compelling and lovely, and her take on some of the most important scenes from the Iliad are even more compelling.

The Song of Achilles is told from the perspective of Patroclus, Achilles' lover and constant companion, beginning with Patroclus's childhood. He is an unusual main character in that he rarely speaks about his own strengths at all, preferring to cast the poorest possible light on himself in favor of praising Achilles. The two grow up together, learn together, and finally, inevitably, go to war together. Miller does an excellent job of tempering your knowledge of what will happen with a real joy in the moments leading up to that foreseen climax, filling her characters with just the right amounts of doubt and surety. There is a real pleasure in the unexpected details--the time Achilles and Patroclus spend with each other, the quieter interactions with other characters, the setting, and the way that the supernatural features. The gods are real and present, but this is emphatically about the humans in this war.

For those who know the story, don't worry, the issue with the ending is expertly resolved so that we see the fates of both main characters.

My only problem with this book is that the romance between Achilles and Patroclus is presented to the rest of the characters in a very 21st century way. It is moving and profound--but not at all historically accurate. Achilles and Patroclus were almost certainly lovers, and almost certainly very few people would have thought it strange, let alone wrong. There were probably many pairs of male lovers within the Greek camp. I don't know if this was a decision of the author or the editor/publisher, so I can't get too upset, but this modern retelling does a disservice to the Ancient Greeks. The Greeks had a very different understanding of sex and sexuality, and Miller simplifies too much. It's the only reason I've marked The Song of Achilles down.

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