“But in a solitary life, there are rare moments when another soul dips near yours, as stars once a year brush the earth. Such a constellation was he to me.”
Madeline Miller’s “Circe” is a daring and imminently
readable retelling of the story of ancient Greece told from the viewpoint of
the fierce feminist Circe. Though immortal herself, Circe’s keen observations
of the self-serving pettiness of Olympians, Titans, and heroes alike present a
unique and refreshing analysis of the great Greek myths.
Circe, who is the daughter of the Titan Helios, the ancient
god of the Sun, and the ocean nymph, Perse, is more than a goddess. She is a
sorceress, a witch, capable of creating powerful spells that she can cast on
both the immortal gods and mortals. As she is only realizing her powers as a
witch, she casts two spells that lead Zeus to banish her forever on the
deserted island of Aiaia. However, she is not living her banishment in
solitude. She has visitors. Some are good while others are innately evil, but
none of them is boring. And the parade of immortal gods and mortals who appear
to Aiaia is an interesting tour through the finest of the myths. We have brief
glimpses of the rest of the Titans and Olympians. Odysseus and Daedalus play a
vital part, but we also get to witness the delivery of Pasiphae’s child, the
monstrous Minotaur, Scylla the six-headed sea beast, Medea, and Icarus.
Circe has not exactly had a comfortable life, from her early
childhood she is emotionally abused and neglected by her family, but she came
through all those difficulties and used them to her advantage, to strengthen
herself, and it made her better than everyone around her. Her life in exile on
the island of Aiaia, brings her only loneliness, but she endures, eventually
learns to control her rage and discovers empathy and love. Although the setting
is a mystical world of gods and monsters of Greek mythology, the character of
Circe is so relatable on a personal level because of excellent characterization
and beautifully descriptive prose.
Circe features many surprises, common in Greek Mythology,
resulting from gods and men trying to outsmart the fate, but it is also a story
about love, self-discovery, loss, regret, revenge, anger, developing one’s
inner strength. But most of all, it is about the woman who has to create
herself; shape her own paths against all the odds, and a straightforward story
of a mother who’ll do anything to protect her child. A perfect mixture of
mythology and fiction writing, and a beautiful and honest ode to Homer.
