The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller

Having read Madeline Miller's Circe just a couple of months ago (and loving it), I was really excited about The Song of Achilles. It was a slow-burning start, but after the first twenty or thirty pages I was hooked. Miller makes Greek mythology really accessible to a newbie like me, and her writing style is gripping and enjoyable to read. The novel follows the story of Patroclus, a young prince who is exiled for accidentally killing another boy. 

His new residence is the court of King Peleus, where he meets the king's idyllic son Achilles. Achilles is physically superior to Patroclus and profoundly more skilled yet extremely humble, which incenses the intense admiration of Patroclus. The boys form a companionship which blossoms into a tender romance, whilst they grow up learning the arts of war and medicine under the instruction of Chiron. Despite Achilles' natural adeptness with weaponry, he is unwilling to fight and endeavours to stay true to himself and not go to war. But when Helen of Sparta is kidnapped, Achilles is called up to fight in the great Trojan war, against his every peaceful instinct.

The relationship between Patroclus and Achilles is beautifully portrayed by Miller, and you become wholly invested in the characters as you see them grow from young boys into men, and follow them through their difficult moral choices. Patroclus is good-natured and modest, not a natural leader or a dominant voice - which makes him a likeable and friendly protagonist. It might have been more obvious to make Achilles the heroic narrator but Miller's preference for the underdog is well-placed here. This was a poetic, moving and yet informative novel in which I also learned a lot about the mythology. It is heartbreaking to read as Achilles' pride overwhelms his natural instinct, yet the ending is so beautifully redeeming.

If you haven't read either The Song of Achilles or Circe, I urge you to do so. Particularly for people who are new to the vast mythology of Ancient Greece, this is a great and accessible way in. Moving and heart-wrenching, this is just a truly imaginative and impressive piece of fiction.