House of Odysseus by Claire North

Book Review

Matthew Johns

Odysseus is missing – lost at sea, assumed by many to be dead. His wife, Penelope remains in their palace in Ithaca, ruling with a firm but fair hand, and beset by suitors all desperate to marry her to take the title of king. Their son, Telemachus, is also missing, having set out to search for his lost father. It is a time of gods and goddesses, of noble deeds, vicious battles and political cunning. When the king of kings, Orestes goes missing and is widely rumoured to have lost his mind, poor Penelope finds herself visited by Menelaus, the king of Sparta – a much-feared monarch and fighter with the morals of a stoat, accompanied by his army of Spartan warriors whose skills in battle are well-known.

The book is narrated by Aphrodite, the goddess of love – renowned for her beauty and appetites. She hides her cleverness behind her shallow exterior. Being a goddess, she’s able to observe everything and everyone, giving an omniscient view of all the action as Penelope tries to retain her crown, fight off her suitors and prevent all-out war from being declared.

I found the first part of the book a little slow going at first, but as I got to know the characters, got used to the rather complex names and got into the mind of Penelope, I found myself well and truly bought into the book and her struggles. North does a great job of bringing ancient Greece to life, and expanding upon the many stories that are well known to us all. There were times that I found myself wanting to go and look up some of the recorded histories and myths of the times to add more context – not because the author didn’t flesh it out enough, but because I found myself wanting to know more about these people, their legends, gods and the islands. Penelope is an excellent and flawed heroine – North explores her feelings well. How she copes with being abandoned by her husband and son, how she feels when encountering her cousin Helen of Troy (famously the most beautiful woman to have ever lived), comparing her mundane and rural life on an isolated island to her infinitely more glamourous cousin, how she holds her head up and soldiers on despite having to constantly entertain her demanding (and unwanted) suitors, how she wants and works to be a good ruler for her people. She makes Penelope and her armies of women feel very real, and even towards the end adds many more extra dimensions to Helen, revealing her shallowness to be largely a mask. There are lots of other themes explored – trust, betrayal, love, forgiveness and more across the gods and mortals alike. North describes the Greek islands with such flowing prose that she gives the landscape its own character, bringing that to life through the pages and placing it on almost an equal footing with the human characters.

This is a fantastic read – it is filled with strong female characters who have no qualms or problems standing up to their often boorish and over privileged male counterparts. It also reveals a class divide between the different layers of royalty, as well as the servants and their rulers, and highlights how Penelope’s fair and equal treatment of her army of servants and fisherwomen enables them to best the mighty Spartans. I’m looking forward to the third book in this series, and encourage you to give North’s series a read – they are truly excellent and gripping.