Circe

Circe with Companions of Ulysses Changed into Animals by Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione

Circe by Madeline Miller

Arguably most known for her appearance in epic poem The Odyssey, Circe is a powerful figure not just when she crosses paths with Odysseus, but in her own right. The daughter of Helios, the sun god, and Perse, a naiad, Circe is herself a goddess and, just as importantly, a witch.

While Circe has been reimagined in literature and art throughout time, author and classicist Madeline Miller positions her at this story’s center, rather than as a stop upon some other hero’s way. Miller begins the tale at the beginning, with Circe’s birth and childhood in the godly halls of her father. Though immortal like the rest of her kin, Circe feels and is different from all of them—she doesn’t take pleasure in petty piques or pranks, she is interested in rather than annoyed by humans, and she is deemed unattractive and uninteresting by her relatives. It is this combination of otherness, as well as her crush on the mortal Glaucos, that leads Circe to realize her power as a witch. Though it is precisely her use of herbs and will to work powerful magic that results in Circe’s eternal banishment to the island Aiaia, the realization of her witchery is also the route through which she comes in to her own and the crucible through which emerges the bulk of the tale told in Circe.

As an immortal, Circe’s life stretches on unending from century to century. But far from feeling dull or tedious, Miller crafts a riveting tale, conducting an effective narrative sleight of hand that simultaneously keeps the reader aware of the vast amounts of time passing and enraptured by the present moment of the story. Similarly, Circe’s beautiful language and striking, lyrical phrasing make the novel transporting, both timeless and ancient, even while remaining accessible to readers unfamiliar with ancient Greek mythology and culture. Most importantly, Miller does not simply re-cover well-trod territory here: she writes new relevance into a story that is ultimately about what action can be taken in the face of overwhelming, unequal power; violent and petrifying misogyny; and the sense that one’s own life might be controlled by larger, outside forces instead of by one’s self. Circe reminds us that while we may not always be liked or understood, while we might not be able to stop bad things from happening, we can always challenge ourselves to respond by bravely honoring our own sense of what is right.

Subjects this book includes that some readers may be sensitive to: rape, death.