There’s no doubt that this period of quarantine and social distancing has disrupted plenty of routines around the world. Moreso, it has disrupted many people’s sense of hope and positivity. It is unquestionably a difficult time, which is why it is more important than ever to reach out to those you love and who can support you and you them. For just this reason, my university friends and I set up a Quarantine Book Club! Getting together (virtually) every other week or so to talk about a new book we have all read has been a great way to check in during these challenging times without focusing on the situation.
For our first book club session we read Circe by Madeline Miller. As the title suggests, the novel’s protagonist is Circe, the Greek goddess of magic and sorcery. Truth be told, I am late to the game with this one. Published in April of 2018, Circe has made the rounds in various bookish circles, from Instagram, Twitter, to be a nominee for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2019, a lot has been said about this book, and rightfully so.
From the onset, Circe, both the novel and character, is overwhelmingly intriguing. From her birth as a goddess, to her numerous rebirths thereafter, the novel challenges the idea of what it means to be immortal and a god. God status is most often considered the top of the proverbial food chain; you cannot get any higher. Circe twists this to demonstrate how immortality is a sort of prison in itself.
The novel subverts the typical Greek tale of glory taking you closer to godliness (i.e. Hercules, Odysseus) and demonstrates how the ultimate development is in learning to be human, with all its flaws and finality. Time and time again, Greek mythology has made men into heroes and heroes into gods. It isa tale as old as time, literally! But Miller’s Circe takes a feminist twist to this narrative, one where the goal is to find a voice, a purpose and the courage to seek within oneself the truth and humilty of who you are so that you are satisfied with a single lifespan.
Without giving out too many spoilers, here are some honorable mentions, things that we loved about Circe, from the book club discussion on the novel.
- The tempo of the novel was ever changing and masterfully mimics the importance of certain points in Circe’s life and the endurance needed to pass through her trials.
- Where the trials of men are often monsters and war, Circe’s trials are of a different sort, though no less daunting or challenging; motherhood, family, self-expression and salvation.
- Without evening knowing it, Circe is proven to be the most powerful of all Helio’s children. However, it is only in the moment that she accepts herself wholly for who she is that she is able to access that power. For the same reason, her siblings, who were unable to see past their own desires and egos, never reached her level of power.
One of my favourite things to do while reading is to find the one quote that sums up the essence of the novel; its meaning, importance and vibe. To close off this post, I will leave you with that line from Circe:
‘The ocean’s weight piled like mountains on my shoulder. But endurance had always been my virtue, and I kept on.’
(Miller, Circe 243)
If you like these types of books, you might like the Canongate Myth Series.
~S~
