Circe by Madeline Miller

Whether or not you know anything about Greek Mythology is irrelevant when it comes to reading Circe. You could go in cold, like I did, or with a vast knowledge of the myths.  

If, like me, you thought of Greek myths as being about otherwordly beings who have little in common with mortals, you may be pleasantly surprised by this book. Miller makes the gods human, accessible, fallible, and vulnerable. And I guess anyone who knows anything about these stories might already know that, but I didn't. 

Circe is the daughter of Helios, who is the Sun God. She lives in a house occupied by many nymphs, or cousins, essentially. Although there are many things that are unusual about her upbringing (she is a goddess, after all), she also faces many things normal people face - mean siblings, crushes, jealousy. Circe grows up, not really having any indication that there is anything unusual about her, besides her upbringing and place in society. If she loves a mortal who is poor, for instance, she can go to a powerful relative on his behalf to better his life, but she seems unable to do much on her own. Yet Circe dabbles in the power of farmacia, mixing herbs into potions, and soon realizes strange things happen when she does.

Circe's creative use of farmacia eventually results in her forced isolation on an uninhabited island, Aiea. It is here she develops her skills in witchcraft, making potions and salves to cater to various needs that arise. She develops a skill for transformations, and has wolves and lions as her companions. She occasionally has visitors, like Hermes, who give her company and news of the outside world. She also hosts lost and seaworn sailors who land on her island, most notably the warrior Oedipus, who tells stories of the Trojan war and his conquests. She is even given a reprieve from her solitude when her sister Pasiphae summons Circe to help Pasiphae give birth to a son, who eventually becomes the minotaur.

I didn't realize how many of these stories I knew, at least peripherally. I also didn't realize how intertwined all these stories were. What I like about Circe is how Miller seamlessly relates all these tales in this one narrative. And throughout all these stories, we learn a bit about what it is like to be immortal and how immortal beings view mortal ones - as brief interruptions in their greater world. She also did a great job showing the gods and titans as beings who, despite their immortality, are just as petty, if not more so, than mortals. She really brings the drama of the gods and titans to this book like a great soap opera that's been running for centuries.

But unlike a soap opera, the writing is beautiful, almost wistful at times. Circe, although much maligned (it seems) is relatable and you want her to succeed in everything she does. She is a goddess who started out as a nymph and toiled to greatness, despite her solitude. In fact, she might have made the best bottle of wine from those sour grapes and we get to enjoy it with her in this beautifully told story.