House of Names

Book Title: House of Names

Author: Colm Tóibín

Date Started: June 23rd 2020

Date Completed: June 28th 2020

Genres: Historical, Mythology, Fantasy

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Three Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

I love my Greek mythology, and I love their reimaginings. House of Names was a good addition to this growing genre, and it was honestly really refreshing to read a retelling of a myth that wasn't the Trojan War (even if it ties into it, as all Greek myths ultimately do). But, I do have to say that it brought to my attention the things that seem to be becoming standard in the genre that I'm not the biggest fan of.

Style-wise, these retellings always seem to be split into full parts where only one character narrates a chunk of the story before wrapping up that character's 'voice' and moving on to someone else. On a personal level, I would much prefer switching perspectives per chapter so the different voices run alongside each other; what you get with these big chunks is that some characters' motives almost feel abandoned or irrelevant once their section has finished, and it's so much more complex than that. It's not just in House of Names, I've noticed it seems to be becoming a trope for Greek retellings. There's also this very plainsong style of prose that's turning up again and again in this genre, and I find it hard at times to really feel the anguish of the characters, which is just a shame.

I always wonder how much these stories make sense to people who haven't happened to go to private school or done a course in Classics. There's certainly a compelling story to be enjoyed, but this tale particular was thought-provoking for me. Orestes' myth is one of the most notorious Greek stories because it's so unfair. To break it down, Orestes is given the ultimatum to avenge his father - but he has to kill his mother to do so. Killing a parent (father first, but mother isn't far behind) is pretty much the worst thing you can possibly do in the ancient world. But Orestes is going to be chased by the Furies (executioners of divine justice) either way. But I have to say, that didn't really come across here, even when I knew about those Greek values. In all fairness, this book does choose to take a more historical route than mythological but even so, Orestes's dilemma isn't really put at the forefront of the story (and the book ends before any consequences can happen). That affected the drama for me.

Despite the thoughts that arose about the genre for me, I did enjoy reading House of Names a lot. I felt like it humanised Orestes and Electra especially, which I haven't really come into contact with before (even if it didn't take them in any particularly new directions). I love this genre dearly, but I do always wonder about it when I read another addition to it.