by Claire North

‘Penelope, sixteen years old, left her father’s court behind to marry a man she had known for three weeks. And, as she stood at the prow of the ship that carried her to Ithaca, she closed her eyes and repeated, I will love, I will love.’

I used to read lots of mythology stories. The Odyssey has always been one of my favourites. Now Claire North has taken Homer’s poetry and done something quite extraordinary with it. Ithaca is a feminist re-telling – well, not so much a re-telling as a complete rewrite – of the story of Penelope and the Suitors.

Narrated by the goddess Hera, Ithaca begins a decade after the fall of Troy. All the “heroes” who are going to return to their homes have returned, except Odysseus, held captive by the seductive Calypso. The suitors are taking advantage of the Greek laws of hospitality by eating and drinking away the island’s wealth. Moreover, Ithaca is under threat from pirates and, as a small kingdom, vulnerable to invasion by the stronger forces of the bigger states, such as Sparta.

‘Telemachus is training to be a man. In the morning he trains with the Egyptian behind Eumaios’s farm.’

Clytemnestra has just murdered her husband Agamemmnon (I can’t say I blame her) and has fled, pursued by her son Orestes and daughter Elektra.

Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, is weaving her father-in-law’s shroud – surely one of the most ridiculous subplots in all of fiction! His son Telemachus, eighteen, wants to be a man and save the kingdom. Problem is, most of his potential army are either too young or too old to mount an adequate defence, or frankly don’t seem to give a hoot whether the place is defended or not.

‘Elektra considers pressing her lips to his. She hopes that when Telemachus takes her, he will do so violently, hard ….’

Enter Hera, Athena, Artemis and the women of Ithaca. The three goddesses don’t get on very well, to put it mildly. Hera, she tells us, has a pretty poor view of the others; she has a pretty poor view of Zeus and some of the gods too, it has to be said. In fact, some of her comments would be unprintable not so long ago.

Training in secret, out of sight of the suitors, the women form an army to take on the invaders. Some of the young men too have a go, but they are useless and might as well not have bothered.

‘I slip into Priene’s dreams. “Behold me, daughter,” I whisper, voice of running water, hair of dancing flame. “Teach my women to fight.” ‘

Irreverent and funny, Ithaca is great stuff. Claire North has done a really good job of fleshing out Homer’s characters, and a few others besides, making the book a real joy to read for any fans of The Odyssey. The flavour of the novel reminded me much of the style of the late Robert Graves. However, if you enjoyed Madeline Miller’s Song of Achilles and Circe, I’m fairly sure you will like this.

‘Athena sits and hoots like an absolutely bloody idiot, an owl upon the blackened branch of an ancient withered tree. Hoot, bloody hoot she goes ….’

***