Madeline Miller’s outstanding debut is the winner of the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction and the novel that had celebrities like Russell Tovey crying poolside this summer.

This is ‘Greece in the age of Heroes’. Patroclus, an awkward young prince and disappointment to his father, has been exiled to Phytia to live in the shadow of King Peleus and his strong, beautiful son, Achilles. When Achilles takes the shamed Patroclus as his friend, an unlikely friendship forms between the young men and together they grow skilled in war and medicine, their bond growing deeper to the dismay of Achilles mother, the cruel sea goddess Thetis, who loathes mortal flesh.

Then, word arrives that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped and the men of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by fate and the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause and Patroclus, torn between love and fear for his friend’s life, follows.  As the men fight for their lives, everything they have learnt; everything they believe in is challenged, and Patroclus must fight to save his friend from the cruel hands of fate as it tries to pluck the air prematurely from his breast.

Miller takes Homer for her muse and retells the story of the epic Trojan War in a way that is fantastically original and exhilaratingly exciting. It is a classic for a new generation: a battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart, and overall a devastating love story between men. A modern masterpiece which is being heralded as a sexy, dangerous and captivating piece of literature.

 

The Song Of Achilles is available now from Bloomsbury.

Words: Lucy Holden