Ithaca, by Claire North- Lost Voices Highlighted

Book Review — September, 2022

Cover by: Lisa Marie Pompilio

What happens when all the men of a country sail away and the women are left to run everything, behind the scenes?

This is what is said to have occurred on the Greek island of Ithaca, during the infamous Trojan War. For those in need of a little recap, https://www.worldhistory.org/Trojan_War/ an overview for you.

Now I’m no stranger to the feminist Greek mythology genre- it’s my favorite, as a matter of fact. But there’s something about Ithaca, by Claire North, that does the category justice like no one else.

It might be the unexpected, unique perspective of the narrator (Hera, Goddess of women, marriage and family), or perhaps it’s the multitude of different female POVs, or maybe it’s the intriguing way these characters work in the shadows of Ithaca’s turbulent political state, or all of the above?

Anyway, we know the story of Odysseus and his years abroad fighting the Trojan War, and his turbulent path back. But do you know of Penelope, the wife he left behind?

Penelope uses her innate cunning to outwit the suitors abusing her hospitality and manipulates what’s expected of her gender and status to her advantage.

She must deal with the political uncertainty of her kingdom with her husband away, the incompetent advisors that are left and unwelcome suitors vying for the throne.

It is an extraordinary tale- an exploration of Penelope’s side of this ancient myth, and what it took to be listened to as a woman in Ancient Greece.

But don’t just take my word for it, book reviewers all over are becoming captivated by this novel. https://thesouthernbooksellerreview.org/ithaca-by-claire-north/

This book draws you in with the POV of a random village girl, and the effect man’s selfishness has on her life and worldview over the course of the plot.

It shows not only the underrepresented female perspective of this Ancient Greek myth, but the forgotten women within that category as well (slave girls, servants, etc.).

“The greatest power we women can own,” Claire North writes in Ithaca, “is that which we take in secret.”

Perhaps most fascinating, however, is our narrator Hera’s omniscient yet sympathetic tone. She...

“Tells us the story with a heavy amount of sarcasm and a good deal of irony,” remarks Theresa Smith in her review, “which honestly, was entirely amusing and on point.”

I couldn’t agree more, Theresa.

Hera provides a unique approach to storytelling, flying from character to character across vast distances of time and space. This allows the reader to feel akin to the god telling this tale, in that we can similarly weave together plotlines from a plethora of different characters, all at once.

In terms of genre, Madeline Miller’s work with The Song of Achillies, and Circe, have created an industry standard for Greek myth retellings, and Ithaca played off that hype and adopted a similar approach to Circe, but with a more sarcastic and biting tone.

If you’re still not convinced, know you have this level of narrative immersion awaiting.

If you’re a fan of Ithaca, keep an eye out for further releases! https://www.clairenorth.com/ This book is the first in North’s ongoing trilogy. The second, House of Odysseus, is set to be released this August.

From ancient myth to modern tales, there’s a lot of male chauvinism running rampant in narrative. Now, what stories do you feel deserve a feminist retelling?