The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller

"Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart."

Reading this is like reading Romeo and Juliet. We all know the story. We all know the outcome. We all know that our desperate prayers for someone, anyone to step in and save these characters from themselves will fall on deaf ears.
So often in historical fiction from this time period I see the sharp edges of the Ancient Greek and Roman cultures smoothed away. I see slaves treated well and women given a voice. I'm happy to say there was none of that bullshittery here. Miller paints the pages of this book in blood and suffering. It is awash with pain and brutality. As it should be. Because historical accuracy.  It is not the most brutal retelling of this story I have some across, "The silence of the girls" far outstrips it in brutality but it didn't frustrate me in it faux gentleness either. 

But, it does means that this book is not for everyone. There is a lot of sexism, misogyny, violence, bloodshed, and rape, mentioned almost offhand, because, to these characters, this behaviour is commonplace. Expected. I didn't like a single one of them, and not just because of their worldviews. There was Achilles and his hubris. Patroclus and his uselessness. Thetis and her coldness. I didn't even like Odysseus and his famous wit, for there was an edge to it in this book that made him seem less charming and more manipulative than I remember.

That said, as much as I disliked these characters, I loved their stories. Miller took gods and legends and brought them to life within the pages of this book. She humanized these mythical beings and dazzling demi-gods in a way that made them seem real, fallible. The book sticks very close to the original Illiad which I really appreciated. The only deviation I would say would be making Patroclus a less skilled fighter then he was originally portrayed as.  

One thing I really like about this book is that, it explored the very real possibility that Achilles and Patroclus where far more then friends. That Madeline Miller actually decided to tell the story of Patroclus and Achilles - a story, like many other gay narratives in history, people have tried to erase. (Looking at you, Hollywood. Troy making them cousins is Hollywood's biggest shame)

To me, it is just really amazing that authors are actually rewriting such ancient history and stories to make them lgbt and remind people that the internet didn't invent being gay in 2000. It's always been real and people won't stand for that erasure in history anymore. (Especially the Greeks who where notorious.) 

Beautifully written and very engaging. Well worth a read. 
Age Rating 14+. Mature content, both violence and a few allusions to sex.