The Women of Troy by Pat Barker
Troy has fallen. The Greeks have won their bitter war. They can return home as victors – all they need is a good wind to lift their sails. But the wind has vanished, the seas becalmed by vengeful gods, and so the warriors remain in limbo – camped in the shadow of the city they destroyed, kept company by the women they stole from it.
Barker continues her retelling of The Iliad, which began with The Silence of the Girls, putting the focus on the women who are often forbidden to a voice in this classic tale. While the first book told the story of the siege of Troy, this second book is set after the fall of the city, in the immediate aftermath of a battle which saw all Troy’s male inhabitants slaughtered and most of its female citizens captured as slaves.
The setting is undeniably fascinating. The horrific reality of life for the surviving women is vividly brought to life. With a culture of violence and tensions simmering just below the surface, the Greek camp is a tinderbox just waiting for a spark to set it all aflame. Unfortunately, this tension remains below the surface throughout the book, and very little actually happens.
Our main characters is Briseis, formerly Achilles’ prize, now pregnant with his child and married to Alcimus. She spends most of her time wandering around the camp, visiting the other women – including Helen, Hecuba and Cassandra – and having the same repetitive conversations over and over again.
While this book claims to give a voice to the women of The Iliad, there are several chapters here focusing on Pyrrhus, son of Achilles, and Calchas, a prophet. Barker did the same with The Silence of the Girls, where there were more than a few chapters from Achilles’ point of view. I can’t really understand why, as it seems to undermine the whole point of this series.
Though this book had its problems, I admittedly would probably read the next book – assuming there’s going to be another one – in the hope that there would be a bit more meat to the plot.
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