The Song of Achilles is a beautifully written love story, taking place around the 8th century BCE, about an awkward royal named Patroclus and a demigod prodigy named Achilles. When he was nine, Patroclus accidentally killed a royal boy his age after pushing him onto a rock. Patroclus’ father didn’t want to start a war, so he exiled Patroclus to the kingdom of Phthia where he met Achilles, a demigod boy destined for greatness, and befriended him. The rest of the story revolves around their development as they grow up and fight in a war together.
I think what makes this book so beautiful isn’t the original plot or the world it takes place in, but instead the dynamic between the dorky and clumsy protagonist, Patroclus, and the heroic and good-willed love interest, Achilles. I’m not a huge fan of romance, but I think their character development was written significantly better than other books of this genre. It’s possible that I liked the first ten chapters of the book more than I liked the rest of it because those were directly revolving around their relationship, instead of the overarching plot.
The author had many messages shown throughout the book, such as love, trauma, and violence. But the most important message, in my opinion, is the message of redemption. Patroclus made a terrible mistake in his past, and nobody forgave him for it, until he met Achilles, who loved him for his imperfections. The message of second chances is an underused one in literature and I think The Song of Achilles does a fantastic job of using it.
As an LGBTQ+ story, one of the major conflicts is Achilles and Patroclus keeping their relationship a secret. Achilles’ mother, Thetis, doesn’t support the idea of a man loving another man and is a major obstacle in their journey. Not only that, but plenty of characters who find out about their relationship simply treat it as a “phase” or even a defect. This could be compared to modern discrimination against members of the LGBTQ+ community and their fear of being shunned.
All in all, I think this book was really good. I’d recommend it for people who like tragic love stories or prefer stories that center more on the characters than the plot itself.
Hozzászólások