If you like: mythology, feminism, witches, Ursula K. Le Guin, The Robber Bride.
Circe is a beautiful feminist story of metamorphoses. At the beginning of her immortal life, Circe is a nymph, considered nothing more than a hindrance of a nubile pre-bride. A change begins—literally within her—when she discovers she is a witch, and has the power of transformation. She becomes banished for it, but through her magic she takes control of her own fate.
Circe is based around Greek mythology. It feels ancient and other-worldly, but the themes are transcendent and rooted in present issues of misogyny. Men are constantly overshadowing Circe, determining her worth, dictating her fate, trying to manipulate her. After initially being banished to an island, Circe’s single companion is the son of Zeus, Hermes, who only cares for what crazy-woman stories he can tell about her when he leaves.
“Hermes was watching me, his head cocked like a curious bird. He was waiting for my reaction. Would I be skimmed milk for crying, or a harpy with a heart of stone? There was nothing between. Anything else did not fit cleanly in the laughing tale he wanted to spin of it.”
To Hermes and other gods, Circe is lesser. Not just because of her bloodline, but because of the interest and compassion she shows the human race. I love that the gods see empathy as weak, but her emotions are what give her magic more control and strength. Even as a lesser goddess, Circe becomes a witch who can challenge the Olympian Athena.
Circe is persistent. She overcomes trauma, and faces all different kinds of monsters. She also loves, fiercely, and finds pleasures in little things that other gods would never notice.
All of that is shown in how Circe treats her son. She’s not a mother without flaws, but she does her best to break the misogynistic cycle of abuse that she was born into. As Telegonus prepares a journey to Ithaca for Odysseus, he hesitates, and worries about not having the same protective witchcraft as his mother.
“It was my father I thought of. All those years ago when he had turned the log in our hearth to ash, and said, And that is the least of my powers. ‘It is likely you are not a witch,’ I said [to Telegonus]. ‘But you are something else. Something you have not found yet. And that is why you go.’”
I really, really like this book. The writing is gorgeous and entrapping, and the drama of the gods spits in the face of the most outlandish soap operas. There’s romance, suffering, and a Minotaur baby with a taste for flesh—things that can appeal to everyone!
"Circe" by Madeline Miller; Lee Boudreaux Books; April 2018.
@stevereplogle YES! That is exactly what I meant to do. It totally isn't a sign of poor spelling and editing on my part.
Okay, I'll admit it, I thought that "hinderance" was mistake terminology, meant to be "hindrance" but not edited properly. As I double-checked, however, I found it is an early version of the term, not often used today... but nonetheless correct! Perhaps it is particularly apt for a novel taken from the myths of antiquity. That's some deep etymological dexterity you've got going on there, Kelley Sisters!