My book of the month for September was Pat Barker’s The Silence of The Girls, a retelling of The Illiad from the perspective of Breseis, Achilles prized female slave.
It was a timely selection given the headlines and a reminder that women have been at the mercy of men for all of time. I read The Illiad years and years ago but I remembered enough to appreciate the alternate perspective of the events. The story is real and raw but not too brutal to read.
The book reminded me of Katharine Hepburn’s The Trojan Women. It’s the story of Hecuba and her family after the fall of Troy. They’re enslaved and tortured by the Greeks in the most brutal matter, it’s a tough watch but ties in directly to The Silence of The Girls.
If I had more time I might re-watch Troy to see how they interpreted the narrative and to see hunky Brad Pitt.
CarrieDaway 