Song of Achilles
Patroclus and Achilles. Historians have argued over whether they were friends, lovers or relatives.
In Miller's retelling of the classic Iliad, they are companions/lovers. The story is told from the narration of Patroclus. A whiny, wimpy young boy. How can the mighty Achilles fall for such a person? That question is asked by many characters in this book, including Patroclus himself.
Iliad is one of my favorite classic novels. The Rage of Achilles. In Miller's version, we see no rage. It takes far too long to get to Troy. I don't know about other readers, but I wanted to read about the battle. When we finally get to Troy, Patroclus seems to take over the role of wife. He becomes a healer and mainly stays with the women. Achilles becomes the fighting machine he was meant to be. He 'thinks of them as animals, not people' while killing.
One character I absolutely loved in this novel is Odysseus. Funny, charming wily and thoughtful.
One thing I found strange, even after the death of Patroclus, we continue to see the story through his eyes. We see the eventual death of Achilles and the aftermath of this death.
This is a good book to read if you're looking for another viewpoint of the Achilles story.
