The Song of Achilles- Review

I got burned by this book. Literally. 

I enjoyed it so much, I sat in the sun and slowly burned to a crisp with the outline of the book leaving me with tan lines. Do I regret it? Maybe a little but not because the book was bad. It was anything but. 

Miller left me with some emotional burns too. Interestingly, when I’ve looked at other reviews of The Song of Achilles, a lot of people’s takeaways seemed to be a really romantic, tragic love story being the central message of the novel. I didn’t really get this at all. More so I felt it was about hubris getting in the way of love. There are different types of love in the novel and yes romance is one of them but love for the self, for honour seems more prevailing. I think this is even reinforced in the ending, where honour and respect are what finally reunite Patroclus and Achilles. I’m not saying that the love is not genuine but some reviews made it sound like a beautiful love story when I think the value is in how imperfect their love is. It’s messy, ignored and brutal yet it lasts. I think Patroclus being our narrator really builds on this. We see how the mistakes and disregard for what is right affect him and others directly when Achilles favours his destiny and legacy. 

One thing about a Greek retelling is that it should always be epic. Miller obviously is excellent at showing glory in battle and describing our heroes' god-like demeanors. However, what I found really interesting was how epic her intimacy was. How those quiet, close moments between Achilles and Patroclus as they grow from boys to men also felt epic. There was a feeling of destiny, of start crossed lovers that can’t be denied. Miller’s writing is beautiful, engaging and so clever. It took me a while to read the books but I will join the masses and recommend this book to others until my breath runs out. Or until my sunburn heals.