Book Review: Medusa by Jessie Burton

My Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“If I told you that I’d killed a man with a glance, would you wait to hear the rest? The why, the how, what happened next? Or would you run from me, this mottled mirror, this body of unusual flesh?”

In this fascinating reimagining of the myth of Medusa, author Jessie Burton presents us with a novel feminist twist to a character and story that has, for the most part, featured as one of Perseus’s heroic exploits. Simply put, Perseus has always been the hero and Medusa the vanquished. But Jessie Burton’s Medusa is much more than that. Cursed by the Goddess Athena and transformed into a Gorgon with snakes in place of her once beautiful hair, the once beautiful Medusa now lives on a deserted island with her sisters, Stheno and Euryale,and her dog Argentus. Her transgression? Being raped by Poseidon within the premises of the Temple of Athena.

“Woe betide any man fool enough to look upon you now!”

Four years into her exile, when Perseus moors his boat on the shores of the island, he catches Medusa’s eye. Medusa longs for his company and companionship. However, she is uncertain of how Perseus would react to her appearance (at this point she is unaware of the full weight of Athena’s curse) and speaks to him only from behind the shelter of rocks at the entrance of her cave while her sisters are away during the daytime. Perseus and “Merina” (the name she uses with Perseus) share their stories and initially, Medusa is unaware of Perseus’s real intentions behind his journey to her island just as he is unaware of her true identity. As the story unfolds and secrets are revealed Perseus and Medusa must make choices that will irrevocably change their lives forever.

“No woman is an island—unless she’s been forced there by a bunch of strangers.”

Medusa, in this version, is a lonely young girl , the victim of a horrific act of rape, exiled to a “half-life”, disfigured and insecure, fearful for her future, loved and protected by her sisters but seething with rage within. She experiences the full spectrum of human emotions - love, sorrow, pain, jealousy and rage. Though unhappy with her appearance, she shares an interesting relationship with her snakes who each have names and moods that need to be tended. Medusa’s story also sheds a light on complex issues such as sexual abuse and victim shaming along with the psychological effects of insecurity and isolation resulting from the same. Jessie Burton gives Medusa a voice to tell her story and an opportunity to chart her own destiny. She is much more than a monster whose head is a coveted prize for Perseus and the King who sent him on his quest.

“My name was Medusa, and I was a girl. Perseus had made me sound like a mythical beast. I didn’t want to be a myth. I wanted to be me.”

The prose is beautiful and unambiguous in keeping with the author’s intention to make this story accessible to a younger audience. Therefore, this might not read as comprehensive or complex as similar retellings featuring strong female protagonists from the Greek myths. Both young and older readers will find this a captivating read, not overly long but deeply thought-provoking.The full-color illustrations by Olivia Lomenech Gill are stunning and I could spend hours just poring over them. This is a beautiful edition that I’m happy to be adding to my personal collection.

“Some people think that we’re born with our destiny mapped in our blood. But mapped by whom? By the gods? By fate, a mysterious mix of birth and starlight? We were all planned out, we just didn’t know it. We tread a fully formed path, and those who stray from it will crash and die. Then there are others who believe we’re born blank. Clean as spring water, we become the creators of our own hurricanes. I think it’s both. I had a map, I had a star, but I also made some hurricanes.”