My favourite novels are the ones that tread the boundary of prose and poetry – The Circuit, Lord of the Flies, Dalrymple’s Nine Lives, The Book Thief, The Far Field, Miller’s Circe and now, The Song of Achilles. Miller’s acclaimed book on Achilles occupies its space on this precarious boundary easily, rightfully.
The Greek myth is already potent in imagery with its brave, strong humans, Gods of mischief, wars that push the horizons of imagination, magic and madness. In Miller’s skillful retelling, one can hear every wry word uttered by the charmingly crafty Odysseus and witness the golden haired Achilles dancing his lethal dance with his sword.
The art of Miller moves Achilles from the Godly realms of mythology to one who can be cherished and celebrated even more, through the crude humanity of his character. Ironically for a Prince who traded his life for immortal fame to become a Hero, it is his inseparable humanity that defined this read and captured me in it. His young conscience’s hesitations, doubts, helplessness and ego are so relatable that one can empathize with the young Achilles in his poignant moments.
The telling of this poem in Patroclus’ voice was a choice of genius. Who better to retell this tale of heroism than the utterly average mortal companion that Achilles chose? Achilles, who had all the young men line up in the hopes of being chosen as his trusted counsel instead picks Patroclus – a scrawny orphaned nobody who is defenseless in wars of both swords and words. And it is in this trusted counsel that Achilles finds himself to be more than the prophecy of a hero. For Patroclus sees Achilles as human first, and in turn, Achilles is grounded in the essence of being mortal.
And thus Miller transforms Achilles from just another Greek mythology’s war statistic (poor Heracles, Hector, Philoctetes, Ajax and innumerable others) to a hero in all his imperfections, immortalizing him in his humanity. I for one, grieved more for this Achilles’s expected demise than for Achilles the God or Achilles the Hero’s.
I’d recommend this book without hesitation to anyone looking for a fast paced work of fiction that can move you to a different world with Miller’s melodic writing and unforgettable characters. And I can’t wait for her next epic.
– Swathi Chandrasekaran
Perplexed Potatoes 