Je lis donc je suis : Circe by Madeline Miller

 

Circe by Madelline Miller, might just be the best book I’ve ever read in my life.

The story starts even before Circe’s birth, and we follow her as she grows from an undesirable middle-child, to a witch feared by most. 

She was the useless embarrassing daughter of a naiad and The Great Titan Helios, she wasn’t beautiful or soft spoken like her nymph cousins, she wasn’t cunning like her mother and siblings, nor was she powerful like her father, which, in the Greek mythology world, meant she was the main target of all their harassments, as well as the sole object of their entertainment.

Disappointed by what life had to give, Circe learns that the only person she could trust is herself, not her beloved brother, her first lover, or the father that threw her in exile to avoid Zeus's Wrath.

And through it all she learns that she wasn't as useless as everyone around her thought her to be. 

This book has given me the worst book-hangover of my life. I had to fight the urge to open it right after I was done with it, and dive back in again. 

When I picked it up, I was quite sure I would be a wreck when it was over and boy was I right!

It wasn’t that it was heart wrenching like The song of Achilles (a book by the same author), it was simply beautiful, and as I sprinted through chapters (because honestly it was impossible to put this book down), Circe became less of a myth, and more of a person. I saw myself in her, I cried for her troubles and rejoiced when she had an ending she deserved.

As is expected from Madelline Miller, the prose in this book was fantastic, reading it felt like floating on a never ending river. Madelline managed to pull me out of my world and shove me on the island of Aiaia where Circe lived, I grew to adore her despite her flaws, I was fascinated by how much the world changed around her, yet she was unfazed by it. She did her best to stay true to herself and most importantly; she always learned from her past mistakes, which was refreshing to witness for once in a fantasy book. Though I must warn you, if you’re not familiar with the Iliad you may need to read The Song Of Achilles before Circe, as there are some spoilers in the book.

The quote I loved the most in Circe was : “But in a solitary life, there are rare moments when another soul dips near yours, as stars once a year brush the earth. Such a constellation was he to me” -Circe (Chapter 11)

You might have come across this quote if you’re on booktok, if not, I urge you to read this book, so you could enjoy it properly. It simply warms my heart, because it speaks of a love that wasn’t meant to be, but would’ve been great nonetheless, it is the true depiction of ‘right person, not enough time’.

My second favorite quote was : “as if children are sacks of grain, to be substituted one for another” -Circe (chapter 11), it was only a paragraph away from the first one and as plain of a statement as it seemed to be, I couldn’t keep it off my mind. Children were indeed not a sack of grain, their lives didn’t end when their parents died, or branded them as a disappointment. Parents shouldn’t try for ‘a better kid’, because another child isn’t a second chance at redemption and kids are most definitely not an extension of one’s self. We owe our children our complete devotion and our unconditional love and to stay with them until the end of the line as Daedalus did with Icarus.

If you’re a fan of book recommendations based on songs, I’d say give ‘Right Where You Left Me’ by Taylor Swift a listen. If you like it, I’m sure you will love this book.

Lamyae Laaroui : When my soul no longer resides inside my body, but on the tips of the fingers writing fervently, that is when I feel the happiest