“Silence was strength when it was all she had, but words would be her true power.”
Claire Heywood, author of Daughter of Sparta, returns with a fresh and female-centered reinterpretation of the myth of Perseus. This retelling brings to life the voices of the three women who are no more than sideline characters in the traditional story: his mother, Danae; his trophy, Medusa; and his wife, Andromeda. Their points of view will reveal that maybe Perseus is not as much of a hero as everyone has always thought.
Instead of telling a story focused on Perseus aka the hero’s journey, the author focused on the women who shaped his life. Starting with Danae, his mother, and her upbringing as the princess of Argos. She is a young girl who longs to marry in order to escape her home and her abusive father. The king is already a paranoid man but when the Pythian Oracle foretells that in the future he will be killed by Danae’s son, he locks her in a cellar in the castle to avoid this from happening. However, through a whole in the room Danae befriends and comes to love a young man which will evidently lead to her pregnancy. Danae’s father ties her on a boat ans casts her away at sea so she can die along with his grandson. But, Danae is rescued by men who take her in and will help her out when Perseus is born.
The next two parts are poignant and show Perseus most villanous side. Because these stories aren’t his to tell and won’t be tainted by his lies. These are Medusa’s and Andromeda’s stories. First we encounter Medusa. Her point of view is always interesting to read about, although painful. As a member of the Gorgons, a group of women who live deep in the woods, she is secluded from the outside world. That is, until the day she meets an injured boy and helps him out. But of course, when she rejects him, he does not take it well… Later on, we meet Andromeda. A sandstorm threatens to destroy her tribe’s way of life and so she sacrifices herself to appease the gods, but a forceful Perseus comes to her “rescue” and the trajectory of her life is changed. It’s so interesting to see Perseus portrayed as someone who persuades everyone into thinking he is a hero who fought against monsters and saved people by hiding the ugly truth of what he really did to these women, not caring at all about their voices.
Lastly, we come back to Danae. Perseus and Andromeda find her again and as they all go back to where the story began the reader will find a surprising conclusion to the Pythian prophecy.
Heywood’s writing does not shy away from portraying the cruelty of what these women went through as members of Greek society. They’re all oppressed and of course, as women who decided to take their fate into their own hands, they suffered a great deal of abuse and trauma. Perseus is just a boy who tried to become a man. As he becomes more obsessed with the promise of his prophecy, the shadow that haunts him casts itself across the three women’s lives leaving a trail of violence behind. Will these three women find a way to reclaim their voices and get themselves a better future?
Heywood also brings a fresh vision of the myth by not relying on the interference of the gods in the story and instead gives it a more realistic point of view. Perhaps this is what makes it more raw and what makes it all the more painful to read; because, sadly, for female readers, some of the events will definitely be easy to empathise with. Each of the women also has distinctive features and cultural beliefs according to the place they grew up in, making it all the more realistic as well since its all set in real and reachable places.
All in all, The Shadow of Perseus is a compelling retelling of the myth of the great hero Perseus. A story about the three women who shaped his life which will reveal a man who might not be a hero at all.
The Shadow of Perseus is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
