May Book of the Month: The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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For our first Book of the Month, we wanted to choose a book and author that encompasses The Book Club ethos of sparking conversation and inspiring inclusivity. Madeline Miller and her 2012 debut novel The Song of Achilles do just that. A dedicated overachiever, Miller has a BA and an MA in Classics from Brown University, and then studied drama at Yale. She spent ten years writing The Song of Achilles, and was deservedly rewarded with countless award nominations, most notably the novel won the Orange Prize in 2012. Her latest novel, Circe, was hailed as one of the most highly anticipated books of 2018, and those who eagerly awaited its arrival were not disappointed. Miller’s work serves to tackle contemporary social issues by taking ancient mythological epics and rewriting them, managing both to demonstrate the timeless nature of these texts, and to renew their relevance for a modern readership.

The Song of Achilles is a rewriting of Homer’s The Illiad, specifically of the Trojan War. A New York Times Bestseller, the story provides a compelling backstory to the tale, turning a war epic into more of a Bildungsroman. Today’s art and literature often reflect a modern interest in psychology and the mind, and The Song of Achilles is no exception. Miller adds further dimensions to Homer’s work by exploring the psychological nuances of two young boys and all the many painful experiences that accompany the adolescent journey of growth and discovery. The beautiful bond established between the boys provides the perfect opportunity for Miller to explore concepts such as friendship, masculinity and childhood. As the children grow, so do the concepts Miller explores; she delves into issues of leadership, love, war and politics. Despite sounding potentially overwhelming, the myriad of themes and issues the book covers are handled with aplomb. Miller takes themes and characters from the original texts and maintains their integral features, whilst simultaneously developing and expanding on thematic ideas and the minds and lives of the characters. In doing so, Miller explores a world full of depth and meaning, pushing historical boundaries associated with the epic genre.

A theme of the novel that seemed most poignant and effectively depicted is that of adolescence and growth, in all its many forms. Miller takes normative childhood associations and twists them into plausible realities for adult and adolescent readers alike. The juvenile fear of a parent or adult is transformed as the reader cannot help but tense up in genuine horror at the description of Achilles’s mother Thetis, with her mouth ‘a gash of red, like the torn-open stomach of a sacrifice, bloody and oracular’, and her teeth ‘sharp and white as bone’. The blind confidence of youth is demonstrated through Achilles’s genuine conviction that he shall be the first hero who is truly happy, ‘the flame in his eyes’ evoking nostalgic memories and emotions of childish determination for the reader. Perhaps the most relatable portrayal is that of young love. Miller depicts the experience of first love faultlessly: the initial confusion accompanying an awareness of sexual arousal and unfamiliar emotions, followed by the pain of the unknown, the unrequited, the repressed, and finally, the bliss of recognition and unity, and the pure happiness that ensues. The undying love between Patroclus and Achilles permeates through the pages, leaving the reader emotionally attached to these young lovers, wishing and praying that their love is enough to overcome the obstacles they will inevitably face.

Miller finds the perfect balance between maintaining the sanctity of Homer’s original epic and elaborating the story to include relevant contemporary issues. She delves beyond the original story into topics less commonly focussed on, attempting to break down barriers between established rules of literary historicity, and the exponential need in modern society for the removal and redefinition of backwards concepts perpetuated by much literature. The homosexual relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is an example of how Miller attempts this. The love between the two boys is only inferred in Homer’s original story, The Illiad. However, in The Song of Achilles, Miller teases out these hints and, combined with the evidence of homosexual relations being relatively conventional in classical antiquity, creates a bond between Patroclus and Achilles that renders Homer’s intimation an indisputable fact. In connecting two eras which span almost 3000 years, Miller cleverly highlights the similar perspectives on love and sexuality, almost ridiculing any diverging views in the time between then and now.

The novel ultimately follows the journey of these boys as they blossom from children, following orders and learning lessons, into men thrown into a bewildering world filled with war, leadership and love. Miller maintains the complex politics and violent nature of the Trojan War and themes of the ancient epic whilst simultaneously injecting it with psychological nuances and contemporary passions for humanity. In doing so, she demonstrates the timeless nature of The Illiad, modifying and re-imagining aspects but simultaneously highlighting relevant themes, characteristics, and issues that are still visible today in both reality and fiction.

Miller’s new novel, Circe, is a rewriting of the story of the Greek goddess. Based on Homer's The Odyssey, the plot focuses on the strong, formidable protagonist and tales of her empowerment in the face of both masculine and divine adversity. The novel tackles issues of gender politics, misogyny, parenthood, strength and power, and has received countless favourable reviews thus far. Against 2018's backdrop of calls for strong, independent women being represented in the arts, we are very much looking forward to reading this, and we hope you enjoyed The Song of Achilles as much as we did!