Book Review: Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

My Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jennifer Saint’s beautiful debut novel is the reimagining of the Greek mythological story of Ariadne, Princess of Crete, daughter of King Minos and his queen Pasiphae. As a young girl, she is fond of dance, loves her younger sister Phaedra and even helps to take care of her brother Asterion (the Minotaur) when he was a baby, but unable to bear his bestiality as he grows. She grows up listening to her nursemaid’s stories about the gods, goddesses and mortal heroes whose lives have become legends. She is particularly moved by the story of Perseus and Medusa and the story behind how Medusa became a Gorgon. She is witness to her mother’s suffering brought upon by the birth of the Minotaur conceived as an act of revenge exacted by the gods against her father. She ponders over her own fate in a world where gods and men rule and women have no say in the decisions crucial to their lives and are but pawns in the hands of the men who control their fate.

“What I did not know was that I had hit upon a truth of womanhood: However blameless the life we lead, the passions and the greed of men could bring us to ruin, and there was nothing we could do.”

She is appalled with the cruelty her father metes out towards the Athenians in demanding that Athens send across fourteen young men and women to be sacrificed to the Minotaur every year, an act of vengeance in retaliation for the death of his son. After, Ariadne and her younger sister Phaedra help young prince Theseus, who is masquerading as one of the prisoners, to navigate through the labyrinth and slay the Minotaur she escapes with him in hopes of a better life ahead and to escape the wrath of her father.

Ariadne is abandoned by Theseus at the island of Naxos only to become the wife of Dionysus and later Phaedra is betrothed to Theseus, as an act of goodwill between Crete and Athens, a union orchestrated by their brother and reigning ruler of Crete Deucalion. As the story progresses we follow Ariadne and Phaedra’s stories as they navigate their roles as sisters, queens, wives, and mothers. The narrative is mostly controlled by Ariadne but we also hear get to hear Phaedra's POV. The author deftly incorporates the stories of Medusa, the labors of Theseus, King Minos, and Hippolytus as they appear in Ariadne’s or Phaedra’s narrative. The author is brilliant in her portrayal of the resilience of these two women in the face of their many trials and tribulations. Though we are treated to the stories about the powers and accomplishments of the glorified gods and heroes of the myths, the author also sheds a light on the many flaws and not-so-heroic characteristics of these men - their vanity, ruthlessness, need for adulation and disregard for the women in their lives and their justification for the same.

While reading Ariadne’s story I could not help being reminded of the old phrase “Behind every successful man, there is a strong woman.” But is it necessary that these strong women be forgotten or relegated to the background to glorify a man’s accomplishments while their own feats of bravery and resilience remain unheard and unsung? Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne is beautifully written, engaging, poignant and heartbreaking. Though the pace of the narrative tends to fluctuate, the author does a commendable job telling the stories of two women whose contributions have been relegated to the background to glorify the men in the myths. The author gives both Ariadne and Phaedra a voice to tell their stories and these are stories that are definitely worthy of being heard.

“I float in the inky blackness. A tiny dot of light from where you stand, but bright as a flame. I flare into life as Helios leads his chariot down below the horizon, the glimmering jewel in the center of the crown. My thoughts are slow and ponderous now, rumbling in the deep heart of eternity, but I see the whole of life beneath me.”

As a debut novel, this is beyond impressive. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more of Jennifer Saint’s work in the future.