“The Penelopiad” - Margaret Atwood

🏺When I say I was excited for this one, it’s an understatement. I love all things mythology, and Greek mythology is one of my favorites. Also, it’s Margaret Atwood. I had high expectations. Happily, this was a lightening fast, thoroughly enjoyable read that tells us the “untold story” occurring during the timeframe of “The Odyssey”.  “The Odyssey” recounts the adventures of Odysseus following the Trojan War. “The Penelopiad” is a retelling of the period leading up to and after the Trojan War, told through the point of view of Penelope.

🏺 Who was Penelope? It’s been a long, long while since I’ve read the Greek epics, so I definitely needed a refresher. Perhaps this was Atwood’s point in choosing this perspective - she’s an important figure, but the familiar narratives mostly leave her out. Penelope was the clever and loyal wife of Odysseus. While he spends twenty years galivanting the globe, engaging in feats to prove his glory (and probably more than a few love affairs along the way), Penelope tries to maintain control in Ithaca, fending off the advances of hundreds of suitors who wish to claim the throne for themselves.

🏺 The parallels to the modern treatment of Sita (“The Ramayan”) are unmistakeable. In many ways, Atwood’s purpose in writing this novel, was identical to Divakaruni’s in writing “The Forest of Enchantments”/The Sitayan. Penelope’s musings that mirror Sita’s so painfully well. 

🏺In addition to Penelope recounting her story from purgatory, Atwood uses the Twelve Hanged Maidens as a narrative device. They serve the purpose of a the chorus in a Greek tragedy. Their voices (in a variety of musical stylings, including a sea shanty), demand to know why they were hanged. In the original version, Odysseus summarily executes them upon his return to Ithaca after he slays the treacherous suitors. In Atwood’s version, these twelve women were Penelope’s steadfast servants who, alone, assisted her in warding off the unwanted advances.

🏺Atwood adds another touch of wry humor in Penelope’s interactions with a Helen, who is still very much committed to vanity, even in the afterlife.  I love the nuances to Penelope’s voice in this retelling. Her tone is acidic in places, gently mocking in others. She is very much aware of her own folly, but equally aware of unfairness of her situation.

🏺Similar reading experiences to “The Penelopiad”: “The Daughters of Sparta” by Claire Heywood, and “The Forest of Enchantments” by Chitra Divakaruni