The Silence of the Girls

Taylor Jenkins Reid selected this for Book of the Month Club saying, "I'm a sucker for a good retelling, especially if it's about the Ancient Greeks. And yet, it still exceeded my expectations. The Silence of the Girls recounts the story as seen through the eyes of Briseis, a Trojan queen taken as a slave by Achilles as his reward for the sack of Lyrnessus. As the years-long battle wages on, Briseis tries to make sense of her new life in the encampments. She bonds with the other women held captive, finds something resembling friendship with Achilles's companion, Patroclus, and soon becomes a pawn between Achilles and King Agamemnon. There are no true 'heroes' here. Instead, we are focused on the humanity of the women caught in the cross fire. Briseis may still be tied up in Achilles's story, but she is no longer silent."