Book Review : The song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

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'I would recognise him by touch alone, by smell.
I would know him blind. 
I would know him in death, at the end of the world.'

This book was one of the most epic book I  ever read. With powerful storytelling and beautiful quotes, this greek  mythology fiction had me in it's grips. Madeline Miler  is a great author. Her lyrical narrative and immersive writing had me emotionally invested into this book. I was spell-bound and honestly I cried a lot as well.  This book was hard to forget and since the time I have read this book,  I feel like I carry a small part of this book in me everywhere I go. 

Synopsis: (From Amazon) Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. Despite their differences, Achilles befriends the shamed prince, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine, their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of achilles's mother thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, Achilles must go to war in distant Troy and fulfil his destiny. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus goes with him, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear. 

Review

This book is narrated  in the perspective of Patroclus, he is the shamed prince from a different kingdom, who was exiled to the court of Peleus, for accidently killing a boy in his home kingdom. This book retells the story of the Greek mythological war 'The Trojan war', Madeline Miller does an amazing job to blend the historical facts into a story through a person's perspective. Achilles was born a demigod, the prophesies has told king Peleus, Achilles's father that his son would be far more superior than him in strength. He was conceived when King Peleus forced himself on Thetis, The sea Nymph, which explains why Thetis always berated mortals and was cold and hateful throughout the novel.

 

Here, in the novel, Patroclus always doubted himself, unwanted and humiliated by his own father, he had turned inwards towards himself and had almost withdrawn from the world outside. Stripped of his princely dignity, he was being raised as a normal foster child in the kingdom of Peleus among a group of other boys where he always found himself lesser than the others. Until he met with Achilles, while everybody seemed to be looking down at him, this boy instead chose him as his companion in training.

 

This book centrals around the relationship between Achilles and patroclus, which started as a childhood friendship and turns into love as they get older. The narrative follows their youth, training under the centaur Chiron, their bond during the Trojan War, and the inevitable tragedy foretold by prophecy. The story beautifully balances moments of joy, love, and companionship with intense grief and the weight of destiny, making it more than just a mythological epic.

what I love the most about the book is Achilles and Patroclus standing up for each other against the critical and taunting remarks of others. Even though patroclus's low self esteem follows him in his adulthood as well, he never lets it be an hindrance between his relationship with Achilles. He shines when Achilles does. Achilles mother 'Thetis', she tried so hard to distance Achilles from Patroclus but Achilles kept his ground against her. From the beginning, Thetis was in opposition to Patroclus and it makes me wonder why? A lot of fans agree that since Thetis knew prophecies, she might have seen that Achilles would die after Patroclus death and since she was a very protective mother, she was against Patroclus. 

But Thetis forgot that doesn't matter how protective we are towards another person, we can't change the fate and the fate was coming towards Achilles every year and that made Thetis more paranoid and that as well explains the steps she took  to protect Achilles. Prophesies did tell that 'Achilles is going to be the strongest warrior but it also mentioned about his death in his early years, if he goes to war'. Thetis in her haste to save him from the oncoming Trojan War, took him in the middle of night to a far off Island of scyros. There on the Island, Achilles was disguised as a girl named Pyrrha and was married to the daughter of King Lycomedes, 'Deidamia'. Later on Achilles had a son with Deidamia whose name was Pyrrhus. Here, in Phthia Patroclus searched every corner of the kingdom he could think of but couldn't find Achilles. The more futile his search went the more restless he become. After accepting defeat from his searches, he finally asked Peleus about the whereabouts of Achilles. Peleus was succumbed to sorrow by that time since his wives had left and now his son was also gone and he couldn't do anything. In his sorrow he told Patroclus about Achilles whereabouts, after knowing which Patroclus, That night itself took a boat to the Island. Reunited Achilles and Patroclus couldn't be happier. 

However, the fate was unchanged and Achilles was soon discovered by Odysseus and was asked to join the Trojan war. Patroclus naturally followed Achilles in spite of the foretold prophesies.

"That is — your friend?"

"Philtatos," Achilles replied, sharply. Most beloved.”

Philtatos, yes that's what Patroclus was to Achilles. His most beloved and later on in the novel, his tragic love. A love which made him fight Hector, while previously regarding the discussion of fighting with him he had mentioned 'what has Hector ever done to me?' It was this tragic love that made him go on killing rampage in the war and it was this tragic love that took his life. 

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