Finished my first book of 2023. I know, it’s actually November. This year has not been the one for reading books. I have tried starting a few, but none seemed to stick. I’ve had The Silence of the Girls (written by Pat Barker) on my bookshelf since late 2018 when I read Circe by Madeline Miller (I am truly shook that was 5 years ago now).
I’ve tried reading the Illiad itself but it’s not an easy read, it’s very repetitive and uncomfortable, so I searched around for modern tellings, and found Silence Of The Girls. It’s an excellent retelling of the Illiad, from the perspective of the women that were objectified, abused, killed and cast aside. You follow Breseis, Achilles ‘prize’ from the sacking of Lyrnessus, as she grapples with the loss of her home and family and new (lack of) status, gets stuck in the middle of a dispute between Achilles and Agamemnon, falls in (assumed platonic) love with those that then fall unnecessarily. The book explores the complex relationship between master and slave and the role of women near the end of the Trojan War.
It’s a gritty book with lots of discomfort and sadness, but I am glad to have learned about the Trojan War through the eyes of the women.