The Song of Achilles

What The Song of Achilles is about

The novel retells the story of the Trojan War from the point of view of Patroclus, a minor figure in Homer's Iliad. As a boy he is sent away in disgrace to the court of King Peleus, where he meets the king's son, Achilles, who is admired by everyone.

Their unlikely friendship grows while they are raised together, including a period in the care of the wise centaur Chiron. When the Greeks gather to sail to Troy, both are drawn into a war that has been foretold. Madeline Miller won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2012 for this debut.

Who it is for

It is a good starting point for readers who want Greek myth in an accessible novel, and for readers who loved Miller's later book Circe. You do not need to have read the Iliad. If you know the myth, you know where it is heading, and the pull of the book is in how it gets there.

How it reads

The prose is lyrical but clear, and the first half is slow and intimate before the war takes over. It runs a little over 400 pages in most editions. A cast list is not needed, but the gods and heroes appear often, so a quick look at who is who in the Trojan War can make the later chapters easier to follow. The story is told in the first person, so everything arrives through Patroclus's eyes, including the parts of the war he is not close enough to see.

Themes to look for

Love and devotion. The book is first of all a love story, and it treats that love as the centre of the epic rather than a footnote.

Fate and choice. Prophecies hang over Achilles, and the novel asks how much of a life is chosen.

Glory and memory. Heroes want to be remembered, and the story asks what is lost when the legend replaces the person.

Characters you will meet

Patroclus narrates, an awkward prince who has been sent away and is always aware of being less gifted than those around him. Achilles is the swiftest, most celebrated young man of his generation, and he is closer to Patroclus than the legends admit. Thetis, the sea nymph who is Achilles' mother, distrusts Patroclus and watches him with cold attention. Odysseus, Agamemnon and Briseis appear once the story reaches Troy, and Chiron the centaur teaches both boys when they are young.

Background and reception

Madeline Miller studied Classics at Brown University and taught Latin and Greek for years before the novel was published in 2011. It took her about ten years to write. It won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2012 and has been translated widely. Its popularity grew steadily through word of mouth, and it is often credited with helping bring a new wave of Greek myth retellings to general readers.

If you liked it, read next

Circe by Madeline Miller is the natural next step. For another retelling of the war from a different angle, try The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker.

Questions for a book club

1. How does telling the story through Patroclus change how you see Achilles?
2. Do you think the characters could have chosen differently, or does fate decide?
3. What does the novel suggest about why stories of heroes survive?