Beginning her literary career when she was in her forties, Pat Barker has to date published 16 novels, including the acclaimed Regeneration trilogy; been awarded a CBE for her services to literature, and has won Britain’s highest literary honour, the Booker Prize.
The Women of Troy apparently follows on from her bestselling The Silence of the Girls, which tells the story of one of the great classical myths – the taking and sacking of the city of Troy by the Greeks. The novel begins with Pyrrhus, the son of the mighty Achilles, inside the wooden horse along with the best Greek warriors, unsure if the Trojans will believe the horse is a token of the Greeks’ appreciation of the Trojans’ fighting skills. The Greek Army has disappeared from their encampment, and all that is needed is for the Trojans to pull the horse inside the city walls, which they do.
All hell breaks loose and Pyrrhus fights his way through a secret tunnel to the apartment of Priam, King of Troy. Trying hard to emulate the way his father would have dispatched Priam, Pyrrhus makes a real mess of the job, but eventually kills the old man. Unfortunately for him, the sloppy killing is witnessed by a few slaves/servants in the apartment, and this sets the basis for The Women Of Troy, as they become slaves to the Greeks, but are left with a burning desire to give their King the burial he deserves.
Much as the Greeks would like to return home after sacking Troy and stealing its treasures, they are foiled by firstly a lack of wind, which leaves their ships becalmed, then a gale force wind blowing exactly the wrong way for the homeward journey.
We meet several of the “Women of Troy” in this novel – Helen, whose incredible beauty caused the war in the first place; Cassandra the prophet, believed by nobody unless she can get a man to deliver her prophecies on her behalf; slave girl Amina, the most determined of the bunch, whose fanatical desire to see Priam’s funeral carried out according to tradition causes huge problems; and Hecuba, whose howling is enough to wake the dead.
Keeping the women sane and creating some sense of togetherness is Briseis, who is pregnant by the legendary Achilles, who died fighting in the war.
The Women of Troy is a novel of valour and violence, of will battling will, of women doing everything in their power to keep their men in check, of moments that could change the course of history. It’s an interesting read, if you are into the ancient Greek and Trojan myths and legends, and delivers great insights into the times, but (in my humble opinion) peters out somewhat to a rather tame ending.
The Women of Troy is published by Penguin. ISBN: 978-0-241-42724-8 – Barry Meehan
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