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

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

it’s called silence of the girls but it includes too much perspective from achilles & the other greek men. at one point it became an iliad retelling and yes it’s set in the same area but i wanted to read this for the women perspective. i think on its own it’s a very moving book but compared to what it’s supposed to represent i thought it was rather incomplete. i’d like it much more if it had briseis perspective and maybe a lower class slave? maybe ritsa? maybe hecuba/hecamede? the men parts weren’t necessary. also this is not barkers fault but now i have no sympathy left for achilles & patroclus so reading  song of achilles is going to be really hard lol