A review by ecarper
Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Months ago, on TikTok, I heard about this book and its complicated relationship with its source material, The Odyssey. However, I’m so glad that I picked up this book because, while The Odyssey may have inspired this book, this book is definitely not a retelling. This is very important distinction, as I think the marketing team may have done this book a disservice by marketing this novel as a sapphic retelling of the classic early on. Instead, this wildly adventurous and heart-wrenching tale builds upon the life (and afterlife) of a virtually unknown and oft-forgotten character, the only named maid of twelve, in the classic. Melantho died centuries before this book takes place, yes at the hands of Odysseus, but this book not only gives voice and justice to her as well as names to the other maids. I appreciated that this was a book not about romance, or mythology, but justice. This story is a Greek tragedy of its own and it delightfully plays into each trope, while giving voice to the often voiceless and misunderstood women in classical literature. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, and I was pleasantly surprised.
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