The Song of Achilles

Author: Madeline Miller 

Rating: 5/5 

Recommend: Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. This book will sweep you of your feet, rob you of your sleep, make you smile, cry, and hate and will put you under its spell till all you can see when you close your eyes is Achilles. 

I shiver as I write this, the piercing, tragic story of innocence, love, heroes and a war still fresh in my mind. Throughout history, there have been men who were handsome, and men who were brave, men who sacrificed themselves, and men who destroyed even kingdoms with their madness. In her debut novel, Madeline Miller has managed to capture the stories of two of the greatest men in history: Achilles and Patroclus, friends, companions and lovers till the end. 

Achilles as I imagine him

Told in vivid, moving terms this book will transport you into a world unlike anything you have ever experienced before. It tells the story in Patroclus’ point of view, from the moment of his birth to the moments after his death; through him, we see his early childhood as an unwanted and neglected only son, his initial hatred of the perfect, golden Achilles, their sudden friendship, and then the gradual journey till the end of the Trojan War. It does not matter whether you have previously heard of this age old tale: prepare to have your entire perspective changed. 

“My father was a king and the son of kings.” 

Do you hear the weight of the very first line? From this moment on I knew I was hooked. This is one of those books you literally cannot put down, to eat or sleep or even take a moments rest. I finished in less than two days, and am still walking around as if a part of me is still in Phthia, or Pelion, or Troy. 

I feel as if I have developed bonds with the characters. I had known that Achilles was proud and vain, but had I known that he had a good side, a kind and loving side? I liked him in the beginning of the book. He befriended a lonely, shunned boy and gave him love – something that nobody had shown him before. He stood up for others, and stubbornly did the right thing, no matter who had told him not. This man was born with perfection. He grew up being given everything and denied nothing, with a power so great that even the gods began to fear him. He loved Patroclus like he loved nothing else, and it wasn’t until the very end did we see him getting blinded by his pride, hubris. 

Adorable fanart of Patroclus

Moreover, witnessing Patroclus grow from a scared, awkward boy to an honorable and brave man was another stunning transformation. My favorite part was when they were both training with Chiron; I could honestly feel Patroclus’ blissful happiness radiating of the pages of the book. However, near the end, I warn you there are parts of this book which will make you cry and hate all of humankind. 

I keep thinking that the main villain in all of this is Helen. She had a perfectly good husband, and beauty to rival any woman on Earth. Still her desire for attention and apparently “love” for another man led to an all out war, and billions of lives lost. Doesn’t that seem like the slightest bit pointless? That’s history for you. 

I’ll conclude with something that history has gotten wrong: they idolize the hero Achilles for his looks and his perfection. The Song of Achilles has taught me many things, the most important of which is this: though he was the one who possessed the blood of the gods and whom this book is named after, it was Patroclus – selfless, courageous Patroclus – who had the true blood of a hero. 

You will read this novel and you will go "how have I not read this before??" With books like this, genius author Madeline Miller is not very far from herodom herself.