[ Books ] The Silence of the Girls - Pat Barker
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
Somewhat complicated. I loved the book, the characters are believable. The story... we all know the story. Or rather, we all think we know the story. This is told by a former princess who is now a slave. Or at least the first half of the book it is, then longer and longer episodes in the third person appear. This jarred a little bit for a while, although I got used to the style and could see the reason for it. Also the role of Greek mythology, which at first appears as such and as the book progresses becomes more 'real'. Finally, this is called the 'Silence of the Girls' but it is for the most part the story of one woman but centred around men -and most of what she has to say is about those men. Understandably, perhaps, given her situation, but it did strike me that most of the women in this story were for the most part still silent. Only Polyxena, about to die, seems to have a voice even as she is gagged and muzzled. Another thing that bothered me a bit although again it can be explained in the context is the sort of Stockholm's syndrome that she develops. It was, nonetheless, a very compelling read, very well written.
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