Clytemnestra by Constanza Casati takes one of the most reviled women in Greek mythology and gives her back control over her narrative. Clytemnestra is a complex character, with nuanced motivations and enmeshed in a system that would completely crush her, so Casati takes her story and fills it with the anger of every woman hurt by the world.
I love a retelling steeped in feminine rage and this epitomises that. This is a book that really digs into the fury evoked by patriarchal oppression and the impact of warfare on women. So often, the histories we know are based on the victors, erasing those they harmed on the way. These heroes are built on the backs of broken women, with bloodshed and acts of barbaric violence. Casati does not hold back in a bloody, brutal depiction of the position of women in this landscape—political pawns, easily destroyed and discarded.
On top of this, Casati’s imagery was so expansive and imaginative. It utterly swept me into the story, conjuring the poetic epics of the original myths. The writing is lush and immersive, allowing you to lose yourself in this ancient world. These types of stories will always bewitch me. I always love a story that makes me rethink what I thought I knew about established characters in our social consciousness. The Greek myths are ingrained in our psyche, but they are the tales of the victors and particularly the men. I for one have massively enjoyed this influx of feminist retellings and am excited to see it begin to expand to less well-known narratives and particularly less Western myths.
Known for murdering her husband Agamemnon after he returns from Troy, Clytemnestra is often painted as the villain. Agamemnon’s sacrifice of their daughter is such a deep trauma that fractures through the entire book. It is a sickening moment, made all the worst because you know it is coming. The build-up of everything before heightens the emotional intensity and impact. Casati also delves into Clytemnestra’s backstory. This was an aspect I sadly knew little about and so enjoyed the expansion of my knowledge through this story. For me, this embodies the role of women in Greek mythology. They are pretty set pieces, narrative devices for moving the story along that are not worthy of their own story or desires. Casati establishes her first husband as a complete foil to Agamemnon, leading us along another set up to fall into the pits of despair. The usually lauded hero reveals unfathomable depths of cruelty and violence in scenes that made my stomach spin. Casati does not hold back in showing the evils to which humans will go to get what they want.
Casati’s writing is beyond stellar. I was so deeply invested in these rich, nuanced characters that I will not be forgetting any time soon. Like her sister, Helen was a character given so much more depth and nuance than in the original tale. The abuse she suffers is heart-breaking and reveals those sickening depths of depravity in other revered mythological men. I liked how Casati moved away from the vain, vapid airhead Helen is often presented as. Instead, we see her as a political pawn in a much larger game. She is a plaything of men and gods alike, creating questions around fate, agency and control over one’s narrative.
Clytemnestra proves why this subgenre of feminist reexaminations of classical myths is booming. It is incisive, thought-provoking and complex, allowing room for nuance and complicated characters.
Clytemnestra is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Warrior. Mother. Murderer. Queen.
You are born to a king, but marry a tyrant. You stand helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore and comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own.
You play the part, fooling enemies who deny you justice. Slowly, you plot.
You are Clytemnestra.
But when the husband who owns you returns in triumph, what then?
Acceptance or vengeance – infamy follows both. So you bide your time and wait, until you might force the gods’ hands and take revenge. Until you rise. For you understood something that the others don’t. If power isn’t given to you, you have to take it for yourself.
A blazing novel set in the world of Ancient Greece and told through the eyes of its greatest female protagonist, this is a thrilling tale of power and prophecies, of hatred, love, and of an unforgettable Queen who fiercely dealt out death to those who wronged her.
