Title: The Shadow of Perseus
Series: -
Author: Claire Heywood
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Release Date: February 21st 2023
Pages: 287
Source: ARC gifted by the publisher
Rating: ✰✰✰✰
CAWPILE: 7.86/10
I was very kindly sent a finished copy of The Shadow of Perseus by the publishers ahead of the book’s release next week, and it is something that I have been incredibly excited about! As a Greek myth lover, I adore these retellings, and I really enjoyed Heywood’s last book Daughters of Sparta. So I couldn’t wait to see what Heywood had in store for this retelling.
Synopsis
Danae: Banished from her homeland thanks to a prophecy foretelling that her unborn child will one day cause the death of her father, the king of Argos, Danae finds herself stranded, pregnant, and alone in a remote fishing village. It's a harsh new world for a young woman who grew up as a coddled princess, and forging a new life for herself and for her young son Perseus will be the hardest thing she's ever done.
Medusa: As a member of a reclusive band of women who live deep in the woods, known as the Gorgons, Medusa has eschewed all contact with the outside world. That is, until the day she finds an injured boy named Perseus in the forest.
Andromeda: When a harsh sandstorm threatens to destroy her nomadic desert tribe's way of life, Andromeda knows that a sacrifice will be required to appease the gods and end the storm. But when a forceful young Perseus interferes, Andromeda's life is set on an entirely new path.
As Perseus becomes increasingly obsessed with the promise of his own destiny, his heroic journey casts a shadow of violence and destruction across all three women's lives. But even as he tries to silence them, the women may find that reclaiming their voices is their only hope for lifting themselves into a better future.
Review
Now I want to start off by saying how compelling this story was, I really struggled to put it down at all, Heywood’s writing was beautifully easy to follow along and she hooks you into the story immediately. It helps if you also know the myths, as you have this sense of dread unfurling as you know what is to come and you can’t tear your eyes away in the hopes that you’ll be wrong about what is to come.
However, Heywood manages to surprise still as she follows the lead of some ancient writers and strips away the mythical aspects to reinvent the tale and centre humanity, the way we form our destiny and harm one another of our own volition. So no, Perseus is not the son of Zeus, nor are there any monsters bar himself, but it is in the tales he tells to others that these ideas are born.
As a device I love it, the way that Heywood makes it realistic. That this can all be explained away by human action, it makes for a far more interesting tale as we begin to look at the atrocious things we can do to one another and remove the ability to blame the Gods or other supernatural entities for what are the actions of humans. I also find that as someone who knows the myths, this also keeps me intrigued as it keeps me guessing and intrigued for back stories that are more developed.
I also loved that we got to see more of the ancient world, Heywood had clearly done a lot of research and placed Medusa and Andromeda within North Africa, settings and cultures that were explored slightly through the eyes of their inhabitants. Though I would have loved to hear more about Medusa’s past and Andromeda’s culture beyond the basic exploration of her tattoos.
I think the women were portrayed in an interesting way, deeply observant of the world around them and in particular Perseus himself, and also desperate to survive him. I liked how gradually over the process of the book we saw them learn how to almost manipulate him in order to keep themselves safe. I wouldn’t necessarily say that they found themselves a better future, but rather a way to live. I think the future if anything comes from the reader, in thinking of this interpretation and if we remove the mythology aspect, thinking of the reality of what might have actually happened to these women.
I also liked the way Heywood portrayed Perseus, don’t get me wrong the guy sucks, but I liked what Heywood did with his character. She really showed us how he came to be the way he was, through his upbringing and adamant belief in the stories he is told and coupled with being looked down upon and emasculated in a society that valued patriarchal ideals of men, desperate to become a hero. I think Heywood did a good job to show just how dangerous these men can be, and it really made me think of how this isn’t just a problem for the ancient world, but translates to our modern society and some of the trends we see now.
My only complaint would be that Perseus’ shadow is still overbearing and I’m not sure the women do get to leave it, and that in my opinion we do not see enough of Medusa. Of course this isn’t a Medusa retelling, and I love what Heywood did with the other women, but I would have loved to see more of her interpretation of Medusa, though I suppose the nature of such a short encounter is what makes her story so poignant.
Overall, I loved it and would really recommend you read it, especially if like myself you love the Greek myths. I think Heywood is an author to look out for, and after the two books we have seen so far I’m excited to see what she does next!
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