Circe

It was by pure coincidence that I picked up Circe right after I finished my feverish listening of Epic: The Musical, both retellings of The Odyssey. Circe herself is like night and day between the two mediums and I think it left me out of sorts, but it was a fascinating demonstration of how Greek myths remain timeless.

In Madeline Miller’s deft hands, Circe is tinged with a perpetual yearning, toiling for something that is just out of reach and doesn’t come into clarity until the end. Miller’s prose is strangely lyrical. As a result, Circe draws you in and holds you until the end. The descriptions are lush and relationships are brimming with regret and longing. Honestly, I think one of Miller’s great talents is spending ample time on details without losing the tight pacing. Somehow, Miller also made life of solitude on an island captivating.

Circe draws on some of the most famous epics of the Western world and I was pleasantly surprised at how new they felt. Circe is a compelling character who undergoes a slow, albeit meaningful transformation. She grows to become a powerful witch in her own right, but the struggle is arduous and every success feels earned. Even at the end, when Circe confronts old demons, it feels like we are only encountering a fraction of her power. She feels divine. But Circe still feels markedly different from the truly divine Olympians.

I think Miller’s Olympians are the most faithful modern adaptation that captures their fickle, reckless nature. I adore the contrast that Circe has from the Olympians because it drives her character growth and relationships with the mortals that flit through her life. Perhaps that is what makes Circe such a good read, it examines the fickle nature of Gods and men. It then asks how powerful women fit into those narratives. It is no wonder that Circe fades to black with the characters it does – they are the ones that are true and unwavering in who they are.

Miller may be taking some creative liberties, but that is the true joy of Greek myths. Somehow she has made old characters seem new and retold stories with complex themes of motherhood, feminism, and allyship that resonate deeply. If there’s one thing that remains unchanging though, it is my love for Circe and Telemachus through every retelling.