The Song of Achilles has earned a second wind thanks to the popularity of TikTok virality. Here, we break down why the book has earned every jewel on its TikTok crown. Pick up a copy of the novel here.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, though released in 2011, has earned a new surge of popularity thanks to social media platform – TikTok. It’s an unexpectedly tender and emotional retelling of the story of the siege of Troy and the life of Achilles and his companion Patroclus.
It’s a surprisingly romantic retelling of Greek mythology given that Achilles is not often cast in the role of the romantic hero, unlike the background figures in the book – Paris and Odysseus, who filter in and out of the novel. Yet, there is something hopelessly and yearningly romantic about the plight of Achilles as he watches his lover Patroclus die in battle and avenge himself, taking revenge on Hector, until the pair are ultimately reunited in the underworld.
Madeline Miller took 10 years to write the book, yet the details she weaves throughout the book are so deftly done that the prose seems to have flowed easily out of her pen. More than anything, Miller paints a picture of a deeply flawed hero – Achilles’ pride makes him deeply unlikeable – yet, it is this very fact that makes the novel so compelling. Given that the novel is told from Patroclus’ perspective, it is the lens of a lover, seeing his beloved’s flaws and loving him anyway. Miller’s prose is as poetic as any of the great poets – her handling of battle itself is dizzying in its pace and enigmatic language. It is little wonder that the novel has earned a legion of followers on TikTok, given its blood-thirst and lust that remain at the core of the novel.
