Medusa: The Girl Behind the Myth (Illustrated Gift Edition)

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I loved Medusa more than I have loved any character in a book for a long time, I am still in awe of how Burton brought her to life so well and made my heart break for her. Beautiful, captivating and fascinating as a retelling of Medusa, however, the standout from the book are the poignant messages, fables and life lessons that are subtly interspersed through the story. I’d been looking forward to this retelling of Medusa’s tale since it was announced and thankfully, Jessie Burton didn’t let me down. WMC Climate positions the people climate change affects the most – women and people of color – front and center. Photograph: Richard Saker/The Observer View image in fullscreen Jessie Burton: her book ‘is destined to become as much an artefact of our own age as it is an illumination of the ancient past’.

That, yes, Perseus plays a part, but it’s really about Medusa’s view of herself, which she gradually bolsters, to survive and move forward to enjoy her life. I spoke in panic, worried that Argentus’ suspicion of this new arrival would drive him to his boat at any moment.But when you look into the sources, there’s just so little about her, who she was, and why she was turned into a monster or gorgon. Feelings develop very quickly between the two, and it's not long before Medusa is dreaming of a life different to the one she knows now. I’m glad it was illustrated because it greatly enhanced my reading experience and added to the storybook atmosphere the words themselves created. Higgins seeks to reassert it here, depicting Helen of Troy sitting at her loom, weaving images of the war for which she was a pretext – “there was always an excuse for war, some symbol or stand-in. While her sisters are out on their daily explorations of the local area, Medusa watches a boy come ashore with his own dog.

That there is no record of Churchill saying this and it may be a paraphrase of many others all but forgotten by history only stands to exemplify its own point. It was simultaneously antique with a creative twist, not entirely Greek-inspired art, but something wholly original too. Adding some canny twists and turns, Burton uses Medusa’s story to ruminate on themes ranging from the trauma of sexual assault and the toxicity of gender stereotyping to beauty ideals and female autonomy. However, I think Burton did a great job of blending the various interpretations in hers, both from the Greek original as well as from Ovid’s more popularised Roman retelling.Burton tackles an old myth with unflinching honesty to reclaim Medusa's story as one of self-love and bravery. With each day affection grows on both sides, with Perseus declaring that he thinks he loves Medusa, Medusa realizes that she feels the same. Four years into her exile, when Perseus moors his boat on the shores of the island, he catches Medusa’s eye.

And that path is retelling these ancient myths from the perspective of, not minor characters, but characters who do not shine in the spotlight. Taking her lead from the likes of Pat Barker and Madeline Miller, Higgins’s Greek Myths: A New Retelling is narrated by female characters. As someone who has always been an advocate of female voices in literature, I am thrilled to say that Stone Blind has swept me away and has quickly become a new favourite. Medusa was a fourteen-year-old girl who had drawn the attention of Poseidon and Athena for the wrong reasons. As is common with the myths, multiple versions exist and key figures can take on different meanings ( Joseph Campbell has even postulated the story of Perseus beheading Medusa is a quasi-historical metaphor of an actual invasion).Haunted by the memories of a life before everything was stolen from her, she has no choice but to make peace with her present: Medusa the Monster. Therefore, this might not read as comprehensive or complex as similar retellings featuring strong female protagonists from the Greek myths. Burton's retelling is very much that; while it has the bones of Ovid's myth, it changes things around.