Clytemnestra

Oh, past me, how naively optimistic you were. Utterly disappointing. This book largely follows the recent trend of overly modernizing Greek mythology retellings without adding anything of substance to the original myths. I had some hopes because Casati actually studied in a classical lyceum, but apparently that is not sufficient to ensure a proper retelling.

Certain aspects of this were attempts at being accurate to the historic period, but too much was an uninspired blend of modern characterization and attitudes merely supplanted on Greek names and stories. Reading the actual tragedies yourself would be a better use of time, in my opinion. I suppose, if anything, the only positive in the novel would be gaining a familiarity of the major players involved in the Oresteia.

To Casati’s benefit, there was a slight effort to attempt lyrical prose in the style of the original poetry; but this ended up coming up as entirely forced and somewhat stilted in English. There was a tinge of purple prose to the whole affair. It was peppered with cliches and witty aphorisms every-so-often, just to keep the illusion of literary writing. (I find that quite often in contemporary fiction, unfortunately.)

The characters were as expected; if anything, Clytemnestra seemed rather defanged compared to her characterization in Euripides. Casati’s choice to depict her in a more ‘consensual’ marriage before her time with Agamemnon was an odd choice; I sensed it was an attempt to build some empathy for her character, but it was ultimately a lot of off-page action that was all too brief, so it didn’t have as much of an impact as she might have intended.

On occasion, Casati’s depiction of ancient Sparta imparted some sense of historical place, but it felt more like the feeling you get watching characters against a theater backdrop, rather than, say, reading Mary Renault. This is a debut novel, so this may seem a bit harsh; but I am really exhausted by this deluge of Greek-myth-inspired novels that pile up every year that are essentially copy-paste revenue sources. (Yes, I mean you, Sennifer Jaint.) Can we please move on?

If I ever become dictator of the world, I would immediately put in place a moratorium on Greek myth retellings; any waivers or exemptions must satisfy Latin and ancient Greek language requirements as well as demonstrating an established body of published fiction.

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(Prior to reading.)
Finally, an ancient Greek mythology retelling by someone who actually has a classics background and knows what they're talking about! Maybe this one won't be half bad.

Greek mythology is usually fascinating, and this novel lives up to that expectation. I did not remember much of the Greek mythology I’d read, and certainly did not know who Clytemnestra was until reading Costanza Casati’s work.

Born in Sparta to a ruthless Spartan King, Tyndareus, and Leda, the intelligent, shrewd queen, Clytemnestra is brought up to be the same. She is trained to fight and to value power and dominance. Unfortunately, Tyndareus’s daughters would all find what is was to be their father’s pawns, traumatic for women who were trained to be strong.

Clytemnestra’s character is imagined with nuanced complexity. She rages with hatred, wanting vengeance for those she has lost, but is also capable of intense love. Clytemnestra is one well-written, solid protagonist.

Her royal family is also depicted in detail, especially Helen, who I’d incorrectly associated with Troy instead of Sparta. There is more than one version of Helen’s story, but now I will forever think of her as married off to a brute, used by her father for a power alliance. This story did not depict Helen as a demigod, though she was rumored to be the daughter of Zeus.

Ancient Greece is shown to be a harsh world, where Clytemnestra suffers unimaginable losses and indignities, but eventually rises to the top, to be a ruler like no other woman. While reading this novel, I had to remind myself that this is mythology, not history. This chronicle feels real.

I enjoyed this immensely, Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this opportunity.