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A review by velokei
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
How do I even begin to describe how I feel about this book.
I like it in the way you like an ugly but healthy puppy, is it ugly? Yes, but it’s still living and breathing and you end up developing an attachment to it anyway. I could barely put it down, but at the same time I really wanted to put it down.
Briseis (our main character) is boring and just bland. I don’t like her and that should not be the case! In a book supposedly meant to be centred around women, why is there only one woman’s pov but two mens? And why are both the men far more interesting than the woman? Pat if you wanted to write specifically just about Patroclus and Achilles, that’s okay! My favourite parts of the book involved just the two of them.
I also don’t get why the last line is ‘Now, my own story can begin’ if the books whole point was supposed to be the story of Briseis, and I didn’t like the changes to the myth including who she marries and The reveal of her pregnancy, like??? Bit weird but okay
Tldr
Loved Patrochilles moments
Hated Briseis she was boring
Didn’t like the changes to the myth
This didn’t feel very feminist
I like it in the way you like an ugly but healthy puppy, is it ugly? Yes, but it’s still living and breathing and you end up developing an attachment to it anyway. I could barely put it down, but at the same time I really wanted to put it down.
Briseis (our main character) is boring and just bland. I don’t like her and that should not be the case! In a book supposedly meant to be centred around women, why is there only one woman’s pov but two mens? And why are both the men far more interesting than the woman? Pat if you wanted to write specifically just about Patroclus and Achilles, that’s okay! My favourite parts of the book involved just the two of them.
I also don’t get why the last line is ‘Now, my own story can begin’ if the books whole point was supposed to be the story of Briseis, and I didn’t like the changes to the myth including who she marries and
Tldr
Loved Patrochilles moments
Hated Briseis she was boring
Didn’t like the changes to the myth
This didn’t feel very feminist
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism