Epic Love: The Song of Achilles

I was drawn by its contrasting but complimentary colors, simplicity, and directness. Evoking ancient history and a type of brusque masculinity that I could immediately visualize, the cover of Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles (2012) beckoned me each day it remained a Kindle deal. Lured by its siren call, I read the sample pages, and before the first chapter ended, I was enchanted by Patroclus and the longing that I discerned in his voice.

I was an emotional wreck when I finished the book. Days after reading, I struggled to find the words to capture the magic of Patroclus and Achilles's love story. In short, The Song of Achilles is a work of beauty.

The story is related by Patroclus, a prince sent to live in exile after he accidentally kills the son of a wealthy merchant. He is taken in by Peleus, Achilles's father, and eventually by Achilles himself. Over time, Achilles and Petroclus's relationship becomes romantic and inspires the wrath of Achilles's sea nymph goddess mother, Thesis, who believes Petroclus to be unworthy of her son, destined to be the greatest warrior.

The Song of Achilles is an evocative and lyrical retelling of The Illiad that relates a beautiful story of love between Patroclus and the doomed Achilles. Tracing the development of Patroclus and Achilles from their first encounter at the age of five to their death at the end of the Trojan War, Miller vividly recreates Homer's world in ways that expand and deepen our understanding of the Greek heroes and stories that we thought we knew so well. In doing so, Miller has created a classic.

The Song of Achilles is deserving of all the praise. I recommend it most highly.