A review by readingbooksbcwhynot123
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Wow. I finished this book in 3 days since I found out I had bought the sequel “The Women Of Troy” before I had read Silence Of the Girls. My love for mythology, especially Greek mythology, has held a tight grip on me for the past year. More than anything, I’ve been intrigued by the dark yet beautiful myth of Achilles, and the Trojan War. I’ll be honest, I did start off by reading The Song Of Achilles, which clearly shows that Patroclus was and always has been an unreliable narrator. This book really puts the ugliness of such a  horrendous time into beautiful writing. People need to see all perspectives. Too many people know Achilles and the Trojan War from TSOA, which sugarcoats it all (even though I do adore the book), I must recommend this to anyone who wants a raw and honest version of what happened. Pat’s writing continues to impress and awestruck me as I go on to read the sequel, and I can only wish the best to everyone who also decided to read this book.  
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