Witch. Goddess. Daughter. Sister. Lover. Mother. Almost human-like.
I would really like to start with the last one – almost human-like. I don’t think I would have been this affected by a book if I couldn’t see the human in the characterisation of Circe and I thank Miller a thousand times for that.
It is really a special kind of writing that can draw you in a story that you already know of. The myth of Circe is known if you know the story of Odysseus from Greek mythology and the references there after. But what Madeline Miller has done is more than give life to the character, she has also added the various elements that is of interest thematically in literary field – themes of love and the loss of it, feelings of alienation and reproach, and the questions of identity.
Circe is ageless but the novel is more of a coming-of-age story. Circe is the daughter of Helios, the god of Sun. She is a goddess but is unlike the rest of ‘them’. We hear the story or rather the journey of her through her perspective. We see her grow under the shadow of her family, see her struggle with the first pangs of love, we see her morph her desires through witchcraft and her eventual acceptance that she must be who she wants to be.
The plot follows the references of her that are strewn across Greek myths but we finally see the actions and choices made by her that took her down this particular road. The melancholia and grief that follow her everywhere make her such an interesting character that your heart goes out to her, to reach out to her. Her strength and endurance makes you believe in her and yet she is only as strong as her flaws. Despite being a goddess we see how womanhood (of either mortal of ethereal alike) is set against her, she must give into the wishes of the men or else their wrath will be on her. She is exiled because of her actions and though she struggles through it all, we see her strength in her perseverance and in her fight of not giving up.
There is beauty in this book that can’t be compared and it is nothing but an experience. Miller has become my auto-buy author now and I can’t wait to pick other books by her. This review doesn’t do justice to the sheer beauty of writing, of characterisation or story building. It is but a humble account of the immense love that I have for the book.
Verdict: MUST BUY!
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