A review by ashwaar
The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller

emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I will admit that I think it’s tough to successfully write a mythological retelling. Most of these stories are tragedies, with characters that are stubborn, ill-fated or downright psychotic. As a result, it was hard for me to connect with or find sympathy for either Patroclus or Achilles in Madeline Miller’s ‘The Song of Achilles’.

The story, as you can probably tell, follows Achilles, the child of King Peleus and the sea nymph Thetis. Achilles is referred to as the greatest of all the Greek warriors and is known for his role in Trojan War. Miller retells the relationship between Achilles and his companion Patroclus, from their meeting in his father’s palace to their education with Chiron and their participation (or lack of) in the siege of Troy.

I love mythological stories, and I enjoyed Circe, which was written by the same author. But that novel showed the reader a different version of a well-known tale. I feel that The Song of Achilles just retells what we already know but with more focus on the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles. And I don’t think it’s a very good relationship.

Patroclus worships Achilles from a young age and you never really know how Achilles sees Patroclus, because the story is all told from the former's point of view. If Patroclus sees Achilles as a god (which he essentially is), you as a reader don’t see any other side of him. He feels untouchable and, as a result, incredibly distant and unsympathetic. I didn’t feel any connection to either of these characters throughout the whole novel, because there is no actual exploration of their relationship, or who they are as individuals.

I understand it’s hard to achieve this emotional integrity whilst also hitting the same beats as the original myth. But it just didn’t work for me. These characters felt so distant from actual people and their roles in the story were so rigid, I couldn’t understand or connect with them.

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