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A review by boodschappenlijst
Stone Blind: Medusa's Story by Natalie Haynes
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I'm not sure if I just read a children's book, or a book by an author that doesn't think her audience is any intelligent. Absurdly, this book applies the "show, don't tell" principle in the opposite direction by spoiling its own story whilst at the same time smugly assuming the reader knows the entire story and thus doesn't need it spelled out. Why else do you think I am reading a book and not just the wiki?
I'm also not sure who thought having a dozen different perspectives was a good idea, especially when first, second, and third POV are mixed per chapter. The flow of the story is broken entirely when different characters interject into the stories of others - not through actual interference, but just saying what will happen in another's POV. I have no idea who enjoys this style of storytelling: All suspense and curiosity is immediately removed.
Example: Perseus is very quickly said to be selfish and sadistic, but we are never actually shown anything about Perseus before his journey. We are robbed the opportunity to infer this ourselves. The insults from the Gorgon head ring empty until the wedding.
What I find quite impressive about this book is that, in trying to make the gods into humanlike characters, it takes away all the elusiveness that comes with godhood. Presenting gods as rational characters that have teenager conversations makes their motivations seem completely arbitrary - because they are! But you hide that by treating them as nonhumans. This is maybe the first time I felt bored by the gods. Surely this is also because the author's prose is so simple it bored me to tears.
Finally, this story isn't really about Medusa. Which is unfortunate because the chapters about the Gorgon sisters were where the author's prose worked best: A kid figuring out the world. Had she focused more on that, she would have done the title of the book more justice and had a more interesting story to tell.
I'm also not sure who thought having a dozen different perspectives was a good idea, especially when first, second, and third POV are mixed per chapter. The flow of the story is broken entirely when different characters interject into the stories of others - not through actual interference, but just saying what will happen in another's POV. I have no idea who enjoys this style of storytelling: All suspense and curiosity is immediately removed.
What I find quite impressive about this book is that, in trying to make the gods into humanlike characters, it takes away all the elusiveness that comes with godhood. Presenting gods as rational characters that have teenager conversations makes their motivations seem completely arbitrary - because they are! But you hide that by treating them as nonhumans. This is maybe the first time I felt bored by the gods. Surely this is also because the author's prose is so simple it bored me to tears.
Finally, this story isn't really about Medusa. Which is unfortunate because the chapters about the Gorgon sisters were where the author's prose worked best: A kid figuring out the world. Had she focused more on that, she would have done the title of the book more justice and had a more interesting story to tell.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape