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Retelling

The Song of Achilles

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The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Format: eBook, Book, Audiobook
Who it’s for: Adults, Teens

The Song of Achilles is a retelling of the story of Achilles from the point of view of Patroclus, his best friend and eventual lover. Miller takes the stories we know from The Iliad and fills in the blanks, starting with Achilles’ childhood and the beginnings of his relationship with Patroclus. Achilles is a complicated figure. More than the arrogant, brash man who fought in the Trojan War, he is depicted as often unsure of himself, kind, and capable of love. 

We follow Achilles and Patroclus from childhood to their adolescence, during which they travel to train under the centaur, Chiron, to young adulthood. Through it all, Achilles’ mother, Thetis, appears often to express her displeasure with her son’s relationship with Patroclus. We see Achilles and Patrolcus grow closer over the years, ultimately falling in love before the story turns to the more familiar Trojan War years. Although you may know what happens next, Miller’s writing makes the entire series of events gut-wrenching.

The Song of Achilles is for anyone with even a passing interest in Greek mythology, or anyone who likes a well-written romance with a dash of war and vengeful gods. Also recommended is Miller’s second novel, Circe, a retelling of the life of Circe, a daughter of Helios.

Dark and Deepest Red

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Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore
Publication Date: January 14, 2020
Book
Who It’s For: Teens, Adults

This is a beautiful and haunting story told in a dual timeline, linking people across five centuries. The story will hearken the tale of The Red Shoes, by Hans Christian Andersen, but it is so much more.

In 1518 France, Lavinia is swept into the chaos of a dancing plague, but her role is not that of victim, but as suspect. Her strange family and strange ways must mean only one thing: she is a witch. Five centuries later, Emil is linked to the past by blood, and Rosella by a beautiful pair of red shoes. Separated by 500 years, what must Lavinia and Emil do to save the people they love?

In this dark fairy tale, the author blends history, family, love, betrayal, women’s and girls’ roles in society, and the treatment of marginalized peoples in the past and present into a magical story.

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The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

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The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

An isolated mansion in the hills of Scotland. An app that controls every lock and camera. A mysterious noise in the attic. And a nanny sitting in prison, explaining how she did not kill a little girl.

The Turn of the Key is the perfect mix of a Gothic ghost story, as it is based on Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw, and a cautionary tale of what happens when we let technology invade every aspect of our lives.

Rowan is a young woman moving to the Scottish Highlands to work as a nanny for three little girls. The pay is high, and the house is an amazing hybrid of Victorian architecture and modern style. The mansion is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that allows everything to be controlled through an app.

As Rowan tries to settle into her new role, she is disturbed by footsteps in the attic and whispers about ghosts scaring away the girls’ previous nannies.

Told through Rowan’s perspective as she recounts what happened after she arrived at the house, the novel’s twists and turns kept me guessing until the very last page.

I devoured this book in one day, because I just had to know what happened to land our protagonist in prison. This is easily my favorite Ruth Ware novel, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

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