
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
The story of Achilles has been passed down through the ages and adapted countless times, most recently in Pat Barker's The Silence of the Girls, but also in less successful interpretations of the tale (Brad Pitt in Troy, I'm looking at you). The Song of Achilles (2011) by Madeline Miller offers an entirely new perspective altogether. It is something of an origins story, but most unusually is that it is told through the eyes of Achilles' lover, Patroclus.
We first meet Patroclus as a young boy. His mother, he tells us, is simple and he lives under the constant disapproving gaze of his fat... Read More