I’m not one for reviews but now that my life has begun to unwind itself like a spool of film, I’ve decided to take this blog further than I imagined.
The Song of Achilles, a book I can no longer forget.
I remember seeing a beautiful quote pasted on a Reel of Instagram:
”I would recognise you in total darkness, were you mute and I deaf. I would recognise you in another lifetime entirely, in different bodies, different times. And I would love you in all of this, until the very last star in the sky burnt out into oblivion”
I thought to myself, I must read this book. It wasn’t until days later it fell upon my lap.
A couple days given the time, I finished. Cried my eyes out behind the cubicle of my desk but finished it I did.
Rich with color and vibrancy of words, Madeline Miller, the author, did not hold back when it came to her first novel.
From beginning to end, I felt as if I existed among the characters throughout the years this story lasted. From boys to men I followed their growth, their choices, and watched their lives mix and mingle between both destiny and prophecy.
A retelling of The Iliad, it is a book about friendship, love, innocence, pride and corruption. Themes piled on top of one another, blended together beautifully by Madelines poetic writing style.
At first, I was skeptical. A story taken place at the time of Greek gods is usually not my taste; it was the monologue of Patroclus in the first chapter that honestly kept me listening. From there, I was hooked.
I won’t spoil this story for you if you haven’t read it yet. And for those who have and enjoyed it as much as I, you know what I mean.
I felt as if I lived lifetimes reading this tale, lifetimes I’d love to live again. And luckily for us readers, we can. Again and again.