This book was incredible and actually impossible to put down. I started listening to the audiobook, then checked out the hardcover to read during breaks and meals, then went back to the audio while I was biking or washing dishes or anything occupying my hands so I could keep listening. I've never read any of Toibin's writing until House of Names and I'm absolutely in love with his lyrical style.

I love Greek myths, and I love modern retellings of them. Whether it's [b:Circe|35959740|Circe|Madeline Miller|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1508879575s/35959740.jpg|53043399] or [b:The Song of Achilles|11250317|The Song of Achilles|Madeline Miller|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1331154660s/11250317.jpg|16176791], re-reading these stories told from different perspectives and voices sheds such a beautiful light on a classic tale. I could feel Clytemnestra's fury, Agamemnon's doubt, Electra's thirst for revenge, and Orestes' deep loneliness. There were so many times I paused to read or re-read a section just to revel in the descriptions of these characters for a moment longer.

I'm excited that this was my first read of the new year, and I'm looking forward to reading more of Toibin!

tw/cw: violence and gore, sexual assault and rape.