Elektra by Jennifer Saint is a novel that retells the story of Elektra, a key figure in Greek mythology. Published in 2022, this book continues Jennifer Saint’s exploration of classical myths through the perspectives of female characters.
Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne was the first book I read based on Greek mythology and I was instantly hooked. I was therefore excited to see Jennifer Saint has a new book coming out and I was thrilled to be able to read an advanced copy.
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Elektra by Jennifer Saint Plot
The House of Atreus is cursed. For generations the family is tainted by betrayal, violence and vengeance. Three women’s fates are tied to the curse and the actions of the men around them.
With war coming to Troy, the women must do what they can to survive. Clytemnestra’s loyalties are split. Her beloved sister Helen is now in Troy with Paris while her husband, Agamemnon, is launching a war on Troy to get Helen back to his brother.
Elektra is the youngest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon and is fiercely loyal to her father. Cassandra, meanwhile, is the princess of Troy. She has been cursed by Apollo to see the future but never be believed so she stands helpless as she knows her city will fall.
Will the women be able to avoid the curse and bloodshed? Or are all their destinies bound by violence and chaos?
Elektra Book Review
I really enjoyed this book. I was already familiar with the story of the Trojan War but I was only really aware of it from a male perspective. So often in retellings, the focus is primarily on figures such as Agamemnon, Achilles, Hector and Paris and so I really enjoyed reading about it from a feminine point of view.
I do feel, despite the title, that the story was more Clytemnestra’s, with the others being secondary characters. It’s hard to see why the author chose Elektra to be the titular character. She was a child for a large part of the book and didn’t offer much to the first part of the story other than her blind loyalty to her father. She was unlikeable and didn’t seem to have much depth. Her main, and seemingly only, character trait was being devoted to her father and yet we never really know why she was so loyal to him. He was clearly a terrible man, impatient, ruthless and violent, so why did Elektra admire him so much? I felt that part of her character wasn’t explored as it could have been.
Clytemnestra in comparison was a really complex character. She made some terrible decisions but I liked how we saw her vulnerability and pain beneath the anger. As a mother, I could easily imagine her fury with Agamemnon. Out of the three main characters I sympathised with Cassandra the most. I felt her frustration and fear yet she was strong and courageous throughout her torment
The three different perspectives were handled really well and it was always really clear whose perspective I was reading from. The story is beautifully written and the large cast of characters is handled well. It has everything you want in a novel such as this. Tragedy, heartache and drama.
Overall I really enjoyed Elektra. However, it’s hard not to compare it to other brilliant books such as The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller. Madeline Miller is a different class in my opinion but Elektra still holds its own as a good retelling.
What should I read after Elektra by Jennifer Saint?
If you enjoyed Elektra, I would definitely suggest reading more books by Jennifer Saint. I’d recommend starting with her debut novel, Ariadne.
If you’re a fan of Greek mythology I’d also recommend Circe by Madeline Miller and Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes.
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I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. For more information please see my disclosure policy.
Felice Sage
Sunday 10th of July 2022
Completely agree with your assessment of Elektra. I am pretty familiar with the world of Greek myth and I consider the Iliad translated by Robert Fagles the most stunning piece of literature I've ever read so I love good novels based on it. I thought Elektra was very good, better than Ariadne which I also enjoyed, certainly engrossing and with the back story laid out in a very easy to track way. But, as you say, not in the same class with Madeline Miller's beautifully written, deeply moving The Song of Achilles, which I in turn find superior to Miller's next novel, Circe. I realize Circe, Ariadne and Elektra are more feminist but I don't necessarily read for "isms". Pat Barker's Silence of the Girls and Women of Troy are also superb. While Helen had a peripheral presence in this novel, her character made the least sense to me. She was constantly being described as being kind and sympathetic, but aside from easy, superficial acts of kindness, she seemed to have no real regard for anyone but herself, taking no responsibility. Clytemnestra was clearly the central and most fully developed, nuanced character, the only one who demonstrated real growth in terms of hard won self-awareness. Elektra and Cassandra were pretty much one note, often tiresome characters. Maybe Elektra was chosen for the title just because it's so much simpler a name than Clytemnestra? All in all, a good, hard to put down read with an admirable lack of lady's romance sentimentality.