Circe in Overdue Podcast

Jun 13, 2020 Gina rated it liked it · review of another edition

I loved the Song of Achilles, and I was really excited to read this one, but I was trying to read it for the past 6 months and kept letting my library loans expire and having to wait to try again. For the first 20% or so Circe is so mopey and passive and everyone is mean but she's no hero, and it's dark and oppressive-feeling. Once Circe finally started life on Aiaia, the book held my interest, and it was cool to see the cast of familiar characters she got to interact with, and to learn(/willing I loved the Song of Achilles, and I was really excited to read this one, but I was trying to read it for the past 6 months and kept letting my library loans expire and having to wait to try again. For the first 20% or so Circe is so mopey and passive and everyone is mean but she's no hero, and it's dark and oppressive-feeling. Once Circe finally started life on Aiaia, the book held my interest, and it was cool to see the cast of familiar characters she got to interact with, and to learn(/willingly accept new stories about) more obscure mythologies and genealogies. I didn't know/remember anything about Circe except the Odyssey.
But it's still an oppressive story to read, even as it's ultimately about a woman/goddess forming her own destiny. I can feel the depression and anxiety of Circe in exile, having no one to trust or bring her joy, worrying about prophecies and fate and the shame of her past actions and their present consequences, and nothing to look forward to. It really makes immortality seem awful. And the gods come off terribly in this book, which was disappointing, although I guess it's fair, if you think about it. I prefer to find the humor in the stories of Greek gods, and suspend my disbelief, but this book really makes you imagine how it'd be to live at the mercy of their whims, and that their pettiness and manipulation and cruelty are just ways to pass time in eternity. Also, Odysseus's post-Odyssey fate was a letdown. I know he's flawed, but I wanted to be able to still respect him.
I'm intrigued by the portrayals of all the different female characters in this book. Nobody comes off great, but I like how as it went on, more and more powerful women showed up, offering different legitimate rationalizations for their bad behavior. I guess I was disappointed that even the most powerful goddesses were limited by the patriarchy. It's really a bleak story.
But the end was satisfying, and offered some peace, and I liked that.
And, I found myself wondering, for the first time, why the Minotaur with a bull's head on a human body would have the teeth and appetite of a carnivore. I wonder how that legend came up, and why weren't not questioning it more.
Oh and the writing style is choppy and frequently skips abruptly from one scene to the next in a way that I found off-putting and confusing and distancing.
I guess I'm left wondering, why should I care? Because this is a new version of ancient fictions and it's not like an expose on ancient Greek culture- and imaginary figures- is very relevant right now. I mean it's always good to think critically about stories we like and not blindly accept them as harmless fun, or idolize and glorify traditions and 'golden ages'. But this iconoclasm seems unnecessary. I think the feminist message of the book is diminished by the fact that most characters are gods and have amazing powers and can therefore only be so relatable. And despite their powers, which are exponentially more than those of the average mortal woman, they're still mostly complicit in upholding the oppressive power structures that keep them in their places, and not supporting each other or revolutionizing or making the world a better place for anyone except themselves.
It's definitely given me a lot to think about. But I'm not sure what I would recommend it for. ...more

1 like · Like · see review