it started off slow and i struggled a little with reading it - my general reading taste fluctuates between actual intellectual stuff and 12 year old boy fantasy books so, I needed to calibrate my brain to this style of writing
I actually tried to start it nearly a year ago while on holiday but my brain was too smooth so I just, didn’t
anyways I persevered through the hard part of engaging my brain and now I’ve finished it I don’t know why I wasn’t immediately in love with it from the start
miller writes in a way that’s so,,, visceral? she paints with her words in this way that I feel like I can almost reach out and touch the figs achilles and patroclus feast upon
it felt like such a love letter to achilles, which of course it is because it’s from patroclus’ perspective, but it feels so close and tender it feels like we shouldn’t even read it
it’s just gorgeous
also achilles pissed me the FUCK off towards the end, his hubris and everything just AGHSHSDKDSK
patroclus learnt to be brave because of achillies ;-;
thetis finally forgave patroclus - is forgave the right word? idk - because he was the only person who ever saw achilles as more than a prophecy, a half god. he saw him as a lover, a friend, a companion through life. he saw achilles at his best and his worst and chose to love him through it all
also shoutout to briseis you broke my heart girl like wdym you’d be happy being patroclus’ wife and bearing children for him and achilles like stoppppp
