By Caroline Foley ’21
Last year, I read Circe by Madeline Miller. I had heard great things about it, and they were all true. I hadn’t heard about her first book, Song of Achilles. It’s the story of the Iliad from the point of view of Patroclus, the person most beloved by Achilles. If you know the Iliad, you know their story, but I won’t spoil it for the rest. I knew the Iliad, and I was intrigued to reach the end of this book. How could she end this in a satisfying way? What could she do to make this ending her own? What could she add to the story that I don’t already know from the Iliad? Somehow, Miller gave this famous story a beautiful and emotional ending that left me both completely satisfied, and in tears.
The story begins long before the Trojan War, when Patroclus is young and meets Achilles. We see them grow up together, and see how stories of the destiny of Achilles, Best of the Greeks, leads him and Patroclus to Troy. Most of the book, in fact, takes place before the war, allowing Miller to bring depth to these famous characters. We all know Achilles, but now we care for Achilles. He’s not just a legend to the reader, he’s a person that loves, and grieves, and suffers.
Miller’s specialty is adapting ancient stories like the ones of Circe and Achilles into a modern form. She takes into account not only the main points of these stories, but elaborates on the lesser-known tales that are often looked over when summarizing the epics. She writes the epics as novels. My favorite part of this is her incorporation of the Greek gods in her stories. The original epics including the quarrelling of the gods. As the mortals fight the Trojan War, the gods pick sides and aid their favored heroes. Most adaptations of the Iliad don’t incorporate this, but Miller does. Our heroes meet the gods, and the gods aid and hinder the mortals. They are present, but distant, and they add so much mystery to the story. We aren’t just in Greece, we are inside the Iliad, and all its exaggerations and magic are reality.
The last few chapters before the end were heartbreaking. I started to think this would end tragically, and it did, but in such a meaningful way that you feel overwhelmed with emotion and joy. It’s not happy, but it’s beautiful and meaningful.
Miller continues to deliver beautiful stories that only add to the wonder of the originals. The Song of Achilles is a favorite of mine, and I will continue to suggest it to others. It’s not a hard read, but it’s elegant and well-done, and definitely worth the read.
