I’ve read quite a few books about the Trojan War recently, including The Song of Achilles, Elektra and A Thousand Ships.
I love reading about Ancient Greece from different perspectives, especially the women’s. I therefore knew I needed to read The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker.
The Silence of the Girls was published in 2018 and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Pat Barker has also previously won the Booker Prize.
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Plot
Briseis, Queen of Lyrnessus, is caught in the middle of a war.
After conquering her city and slaying all the men, the mighty Achilles claims Briseis as yet another prize. Briseis, despite her former status as queen, is enslaved by the man who has killed her husband and her brothers.
Briseis joins the other captive women inside the Greek compound and mutely endures everything her master expects of her.
However, nobody realises the impact Briseis’ presence will have on the war, as Achilles and Agamemnon’s fragile alliance reaches breaking point.
The Silence of the Girls Book Review
I really enjoyed reading from Briseis’ perspective. She’s a character that is so important to the outcome of the Trojan War, and yet is so often overlooked.
Pat Barker doesn’t shy away from the brutalities the women had to endure, as they were seen as commodities, things to be sold or prizes to be won. She perfectly portrayed the strength of these women as they maintained the silence that protected them.
Through Briseis, we get to see the key players in the war in a different light. The depiction of those figures such as Achilles, Agamemnon, Odysseus and Ajax show how these legendary ‘heroes’ were actually just deeply flawed humans.
Agamemnon, who never fails to make me angry, is depicted as being lazy and brutish. Achilles is petulant and arrogant. Meanwhile, Patroclus, in comparison, is a much more gentle soul who takes the part of peacemaker.
As ever, I always find myself comparing books about Troy with The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I felt the character of Achilles was a lot more nuanced in Miller’s work. Achilles felt a bit more one-dimensional in The Silence of the Girls and I was left questioning why Patroclus would care for him at all.
I do feel, considering this was supposed to be about Briseis, that this still felt like Achilles’ story. The story ends upon his death, not Briseis’. I would have preferred to have read more about what happened to her after the war.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading The Women of Troy by Pat Barker.
What should I read after The Silence of the Girls?
If you enjoyed The Silence of the Girls I would definitely suggest reading more Pat Barker books, particularly The Women of Troy. If you’re looking to read other Greek Mythology books I would recommend A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes and Circe by Madeline Miller.