A review by amyam
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

‘What will they make of us, the people of those unimaginably distant times? One thing I do know: they won't want the brutal reality of conquest and slavery. They won't want to be told about the massacres of men and boys, the enslavement of women and girls. They won't want to know we were living in a r*** camp. No, they'll go for something altogether softer. A love story, perhaps? I just hope they manage to work out who the lovers were.’

I really enjoyed this book, I loved how it stuck so closely to the original myths/stories. Every character came with flaws and there was depth to all the characters. The book both showed the very horrific nature of this period while not being graphic and hard to read. 

Briseis provided an interesting focal point for the story as she guided us through her life at the time. Through her fear, her hatred, her confusion and her acceptance. Despite how incredulous her story may be to a modern reader, by hearing her thoughts and point of view her story does make a lot more sense. I enjoyed her wit and at times sarcasm even if she couldn’t say it out loud. 

This was an excellent book so much so I immediately went out and bought the second one as I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
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