A review by thebookbin
Galatea by Madeline Miller

dark sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

 This book review was delayed in solidarity with the HarperCollins Union Strike. 

This short little story is a gut-punch to the face. Please be wary of any triggers you may have before picking up this book or even continuing this review. We all know and trust Miller's interpretations of history and myth from her fantastic work on both Circe and The Song of Achilles. 

Galatea is no exception. The fact that so much research had to be dedicated just to finding out the name 'Galatea' in the story of Pygmalion is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the brutal misogyny of this book. 

Miller gives Galatea life, and illuminates the dark corners that stories like this pose. The idea of a man giving life to a statue seems fine on the surface, but when you take into the account Galatea's loss of agency, and Pygmalion's disgust with female identity, empowerment, and sexuality--the sweet  story of love becomes a tale of horror, and that's what this is. 

While I love Galatea's quiet snark, and I acknowledge that many women would find empowerment in Galatea's demise, but to me it was hollow and painful. Yes, she got to die on her own terms, but it was still unsatisfying. The entire short story I was feeling how I felt when my dad doesn't take me seriously, or my grandparents cherish their male grandchildren and ignore my sister and I. The dismissal of working in a female-dominated field. The rage, pain, and shame of a sexual assault. Her return to stone felt like a kick when you're already down. 

It's hard to explain, but I don't want every feminist story to end in painful tragedy. It's not that I want to pretend that pain and tragedy never existed, especially for women, because I believe we all intimately know that would be a lie. But at the same time the message that women can only ever find solace in death is one that I deny with my whole heart. It gives Kate Chopin The Awakening vibes and while I acknowledge and respect this era in feminist history, I, personally am ready to move past it and embrace and cherish and love all that makes me a woman. 

3/5 complicated feminist retelling stars 
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