“And perhaps it is the greater grief, after all, to be left on earth when another is gone.”
― Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles
Oh dear god, I cannot tell you how long I’ve waited to write a review for this book. It has been a good while since I read it, however, everything about this book is still very much alive in my mind. You know me and how obsessed I am with anything related to Greek Mythology/Literature/History in general. This was something I needed without even knowing that I needed it.
Some books change something in you and make you look at things in a way you’ve never considered looking before. Some books break your heart, tear it piece by piece, then expect you to put the pieces back together to heal. This little fella here broke me into my pieces, tore me apart, and expected me to get my life together after finishing it. I also now have a tattoo on my forearm saying Aristos Achaion, the best of Greeks. This book basically meant everything to me.
I am aware that there is an academic complaint regarding the retelling of history because most of the time people do not read the originals (in this case Iliad) and think that what they’ve read is quite similar to the truth. I know that this is not even remotely true and while I agree with the view that history should be read from the originals but my friends if there won’t be any re-tellings of our lovely epics, what good do we have in life? I will keep reading every single Greek retelling out there and I do not give a single flying sh*t about what my mythology professor says so. I’ll just read it and enjoy it in my way.
Of course, this book was far from enjoyment and more like a session of suffering. When I say suffering, I mean it.
The story follows one of the most famous historical figures, Achilles, the son of Thetis and king Peleus, and his best friend, lover, and soul mate: Patroklos. The story is nothing one for us, after Helen’s supposedly escaping/kidnapping, we’re in the famous war of Troy, both of our main characters too young to be fighting (ignore the fact that ancient Greeks never actually cared about age regarding this matter) and eventually ending up in the middle of a war which didn’t really belong to either.
The story starts from their young age, the moment Patroklos arrived at his father’s palace, them as teenagers, their fight of emotions and pain. Again, the story must not be considered a historically accurate one, mainly because in our written history, although we do know how close Achilles and Patroklos are and how much they care about each other, we do not really get a glimpse of what they are to each other. For a fiction like this, Madeline Miller has given us the softest, kindest, most painful story of these two “friends”. The portrayal of love in this book was something quite different than what I was used to reading. This was because it showed me how a deep connection between two souls can be. The thing they had in between was something else. It was something everyoen yearns for; something so innocent and hopeful. Something that makes you think about them instead of you. Something that breaks you over and over again and though that you’re aware that you are walking to the very death of you, you still care about them. This is exactly what was written in this book. Let’s forget the fact that they are mhytical characters and they already have a lot of interpretations around, this book meant something on a whole different level with how brave it was to use these characters already well known to create a place of thought where you actually dream about being… cared. Being loved. This has become one of my favorite books of all time very quickly, as I kept turning the pages my tears wet the paper, they crumpled the words and emotions that I poured into those pages.
Perhaps the main reason I enjoyed The Song of Achilles this much was the fact that I not only love Greek mythology, but I also yearn for something this deep, this close, this… real. I kept hoping to see something that would change the things I felt back then, I wanted to make a difference in my life and eventually become the better version of myself whether I knew the end or not. This is exactly what he did, didn’t he? This is exactly what he did, knowing that he would die, he kept walking on the path until the day he losed the one who mattered the most. It was quite nice to see one the possible stories behind them and I enjoyed reading it a lot.
Maybe one day I’ll gather enough courage to read it again, I don’t see myself doing it so in the close future but if you are anything like me and enjoy Greek Mythology anything related to the stories, give this one a try and surrender to the pain. Surrender to their story and see how innocence can be lost over the time.
Luster of Books 