orchid-kisses

Much like The Dictionary of Lost Words which I reviewed recently, Circe gives a female voice to a story who’s male version is widely told. Much of Greek mythology focuses on the male stories we know so well; Achilles, the fall of Icarus, the Minotaur. This story is so richly complex that it has these elements cleverly interwoven into a story of acceptance, of escaping one’s origin, of a Goddesses’ experience of loss, love, discovery and resolve.

Circe, daughter of the sun god Helios, is an immortal witch who’s banished from her father’s kingdom to live a life of solitude upon the island of Aiaia. After escaping the restrictions of her old life she has the chance to develop as a witch and as a woman.

It’s a gateway into the world of myth, as an accessible means of understanding these classic stories. What I love about the story is that this is an ode to a fierce female; one who is allowed to have power, and carve an independent life for herself. Much like Medusa, she is often recognised in villainous terms but previous stories never show you the other side to her. She shatters the fragile equilibrium of society and defies what is expected of her. When she is free from the shackles of expectation and societal norms, she begins to flourish. She is ultimately a symbol of feminine power. This is a tale for heroines who are often overlooked in favour of stories of their male hero counterparts. Greek mythology is woven beautifully into a new story that is lyrically and charmingly written.

I went in with little context of Circe’s origin but no matter, Miller does an exquisite job of telling the story for you and feeding you necessary info as and when is relevant. We follow the story through an outcasts’ eyes, whom we see grow through her own self wisdom and freedom. Circe is powerful, and despite being a goddess, she has undeniable humanity which we are finally given insight into thanks to the narrative agency Madeline Miller gives her. There’s a sprinkling of bloodshed, magic, and a look at power all wrapped in a lyrical package.

At times I found my mind straying and it did take me a while to get into the story, so whilst it was enjoyable it is not the most enjoyable of reads which I think comes down to its complexity and the large cast of characters (often with similar names) you have to keep track of. In spite of this, there is an epic warmth to the story and the last few chapters are pretty powerful and cement that Circe was a Goddess to be respected and not reduced to one aspect of a story but instead is the heroine of her own tale.

Do you ever read a story that is so distressing that it seems a crime to say it was enjoyable? At times this story was so unnerving it made my skin crawl. It's powerful and emotive, and at times the descriptions were so distressing and raw that I could feel my throat clog up.

This story focuses on Sonya, an actress who has since fallen victim to alcoholism and struggles to look after her four-year-old son Tommy and dog Herbie. Things become so bad that soon her father, and a meddling neighbour, are forced to intervene for the sake of Tommy's welfare. During a three month stint on a rehab style course at a local convent, Sonya struggles to detox from alcohol which has been her crutch for so long and is forced to face some harsh realities about her life and her character.

The themes themselves are challenging and Harding is brave in her approach, especially with the way it handles the disintegration of relationships addiction can cause. It's a fascinating look at how damaging an upbringing under the alcoholic influence can be, and there are real moments of distress particularly when Sonya is separated from her son. I loved the visceral and tainted perspective that Sonya had of the world from her own upbringing, and the effect of the 'bad fairy' when she had been drinking was emotional and convincingly handled. There is a delicate hand used to describe the suffering the family encounters and the result is a moving, enchantingly sincere, all-encompassing alive piece of text.

This is both intricately intense and fast-paced, whilst being soothing and sincere at moments, showing how quickly the change and effect Sonya's addiction has on her maternal feelings.