“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a beautiful retelling of the eternal love story between the hero Achilles and his lover Patroclus, originally told in the Iliad, written by Homer. Told from Patroclus’ point-of-view, we follow him from the beginning of his story, when he was a young, sickly prince living in Opus – a disappointment to his father. When he accidentally kills a cruel boy from an influential family, his father exiles him under the ancient laws, and he is sent to Phthia to be raised as one of the foster sons of King Peleus. In Phthia, Patroclus finds no allies, as most of the other boys are like the one he killed: snobbish, rude, and hateful children being groomed to take over their respective kingdoms. Becoming increasingly frustrated by the behaviour of the other boys, Patroclus disobeys orders one day, only to be found by the crown prince of Phthia, Achilles. There are already stories about this golden boy; his conception is a well-known tale of cold-hearted godly intervention, and it is well known that he will grow up to be one of the greatest heroes in Greece. Over time, however, Patroclus grows to become Achilles’ closest friend, and learns that Achilles is not a figure from myth, but a young and energetic boy with innate musical talent and a love for figs. Achilles’ mother, the sea nymph Thetis, disapproves of their close friendship, wanting her son to fulfil his prophecy and eventually, become a god. She sends Achilles away to train with the centaur Chiron, but Patroclus follows, and the years they spend at Mount Peleus with the aged centaur are honey-sweet, a catalyst for the changes in their blooming relationship – changes that were a long time coming. But their joy does not last, for war is approaching, and it is Achilles’ destiny to partake in what would soon be the greatest event in their history: the Trojan War. Achilles and Patroclus’ story is one that has been retold many, many times over the ages; a timeless tale of devotion and the fated binding of two souls, and the story of two lovers making the best of what they can in a world rife with cunning kings, vengeful gods, and vague divinations that carry dire messages for their upcoming years.
“When he died, all things swift and beautiful and bright would be buried with him.”
This novel is absolutely spellbinding. Miller has exquisitely brought to life the palaces of Greece and the horrors of war. Achilles and Patroclus have been skillfully written, pages of ink made to flesh and bone and love. You watch both young boys, at the cusp of adolescence, grow up to be young men, shaped by gentle teachings and strict instruction and tempered by the blood and terrors of war. Their relationship is borne of childhood friendship, nurtured and coaxed into a living flame that is never destined to go out. Aureate writing brings to you authentic renderings of Greek myths; Odysseus’ cleverness, the kidnapping of Helen, the inhumane beauty and verdicts of the gods. At the centre of it all, the burning love between two young men: a hero chosen by birth, and a boy who has chosen to follow him, even to the ends of the earth; a boy who may be the only one who holds any sway over the hero. Miller does not shy away from the gory aspects of their story, accurately depicting the harsh judgement, endless bloodshed, and forbidding divinity. Despite all the obstacles they face, the story of Achilles and Patroclus is a song of soulmates, of the inevitability of two souls that were made for each other by the fates, not to be separated by mortals, deities, or even death itself.
“He is half of my soul, as the poets say.”
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