The Song of Achilles is a retelling of Homer’s Iliad. Told from the point of view of Patroclus, Achilles’ companion and love, this is the story of Achilles, the son of a Greek Goddess and a King, and one of the greatest warriors in Greek Mythology.
Written by Madeline Miller, the book gained internet fame in 2020, nine years after its publication when on August 9th an 18-year-old girl from Los Angeles, California, Selene Velez raved about the impact of the book on social media platform TikTok. Selene Velez’s video went viral and this put into motion the commercial success of this book.
With renewed success and skyrocket of sales, American bookselling house Barnes and Nobel put this book at #3 in their BookTok column, which is a list of books that are a must-read.
Madeline Miller started writing The Song of Achilles in 2001 and it was published in 2011. With her extensive experience with the study of Ancient Greek from Brown University and a specialization in adapting classic tales to modern audiences from Yale University, she has been able to deliver the story of Achilles while sticking true to Achilles’ sexuality depicted in the Illiad. The book won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2012.
Patroclus had a strained relationship with his father. Raised by King Menoetius, who would have rather had Patroclus dead, and being constantly compared to Prince Achilles, “that is what a son should be”, had an adverse effect as far as his view of Achilles was concerned. So it was unlikely that he would have fallen in love with Achilles.
And birthed by a Goddess who valued his fame more than his life, it was also unlikely that Achilles would have risked it all to love Patroclus. Their romance and Patroclus’ unconditional love is what the book is based on, along with a glimpse into the early Greek period of patriarchy and bloodlust. The Trojan War is just a complementary part of the main plot.
“We were like gods at the dawning of the world, & our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.”
Tragedy strikes at the end of the book. A tragedy of war, of the characters in dire situations; their pride, guilt and strength put to the test.
Clichéd as these things usually go, it was Achilles’ pride that led to his downfall. Lovable for most of his life, Achilles’ stubbornness and selfishness were instrumental in the deaths of thousands of soldiers and the destruction of an empire. Much of the blame can be attributed to his mother. Thetis, a sea nymph/ Goddess, had always invoked a sense of Pride in Achilles before he could even walk. She only wanted him to be famous and always ridiculed him for loving Patroclus, that their love would disgrace his famous name, Aristos Achaion (the best of Greeks) as the Greeks say.
Throughout the Illiad, the Odyssey and the 2004 movie Troy, Achilles is known for his wrath, his power, and his strength. But in this book, Madeline Miller wanted readers to know his gentle side, his love for Patroclus and his music, his respect for the Gods and the Kings, his love and respect for his stone-cold mother, and his pride for his kingdom. She does not mention his famous heel- The Achilles Heel, as the myths about his heel came long after Homer wrote the Iliad.
With prose so vivid, and a romance so intense and overwhelming, it was tough to hold back tears towards the end of this book. The world-building, as well as the character and chemistry build up, were better than the usual nuance of just mentioning the character’s background.
Beautiful, heartbreaking and the ability to invoke emotion, this book is recommended by readers as well as various book reviewers to fans of Greek Mythology, romance, or anyone who loves a tear-jerker.
“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”