Miller’s The Song of Achilles gives us the rare opportunity to explore the story of Achilles, indeed the stories of many figures from the Classical world, from the point of view of Patroclus, his childhood friend. After killing a boy when he was young, Patroclus was exiled from his homeland and sent to live with Achilles, who chose him as his most favoured companion. We follow the story through Patroclus’ eyes as he arrives in Achilles’ home, as Achilles chooses him over all the others desperate to be his companion, as their lives weave together and they grow older. We see them leave to visit Chiron, moving together and experiencing the first blushes of adulthood, before being summoned back to lead an army, all set against the backdrop of Thetis’ hate for Patroclus.
For Achilles is not just a man; he is half god. Thetis, his goddess
mother, follows him wherever he goes, always trying to break apart his bond with
Patroclus. For me, Patroclus represents Achilles’ humanity, his mortal half.
When he is with Patroclus, he is always described as being as warm as the sun, laughing
and dancing with pure joy, happy and mortal and grounded. Yet, as the war
carries on, so too does his humanity start to slip away as it is replaced by
pride and battered honour. And although Patroclus begs him to remember his
humanity, he cannot see past his pride.
There is no doubt that Miller is an engaging and captivating
writer; she brings to life the ancient world in a way that maintains a sense of
realism alongside describing the gods who walked among us. She gives the gift
of humanity to the heroic events described at that time. She brings flesh and
blood to the heroes and legends that we know well but often fail to associate
with reality. I particularly liked her characterisation of Odysseus as a diplomatic
figure with a sense of humour until, at one point, he snaps and explains how hard
it is to not see his wife for such a long time. Knowing what we know about his
journey home to Penelope, his comments here add humanity to the epic setting of
the Trojan War. I also found the actions of the gods to be very human-like in the
fact that they act out of very human emotions such as anger, jealousy, or
pride. This blending of the human in the divine and the divine in the human really
stood out for me in this novel.
Overall, I enjoyed experiencing the events of this period in
history from a different perspective. I liked seeing things through the
viewpoint of Patroclus and I enjoyed watching his relationship with Achilles
develop. It was also interesting to see how Achilles became less human as more
time passed. I would rate this novel four stars.
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