BLOG TOUR Review: Clytemnestra’s Bind by Susan C Wilson

I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley as part of the blog tour organised by TheWriteReads. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
Series: The House of Atreus #1
Publisher: Neem Tree Press
Published: June 2023
Pages: 300

Summary

Queen Clytemnestra’s world shatters when Agamemnon, a rival to the throne of Mycenae, storms her palace, destroys her family and claims not only the throne but Clytemnestra herself.

Tormented by her loss, she vows to do all she can to protect the children born from her unhappy marriage to Agamemnon. But when her husband casts his ruthless gaze towards the wealthy citadel of Troy, his ambitions threaten, once more, to destroy the family Clytemnestra loves.

From one of Greek mythology’s most reviled characters—a woman who challenged the absolute power of men—comes this fiery tale of power, family rivalry and a mother’s burning love.

My Thoughts…

In my last review, I shared how I was starting to feel a bit burnt out from Greek myth retellings so I was extremely cautious when starting this book, especially since it hadn’t been that long since I read another retelling of Clytemnestra’s story. I worried for nothing though, because Clytemnestra’s Bind had me completely hooked right from the start.

My husband is waging war overseas. How natural it feels to rule in his place, instead of listening from the shadows while he decides our destinies. When he returns, I’ll arrange a celebration feast. He will not attend it.

This retelling started a lot earlier in Clytemnestra’s story than I was expecting, all the way back to her first marriage with Tantalus, just before Agamemnon took everything from her – including Clytemnestra herself. What follows is a deep, painful and harrowing account of the life of this queen, forced to live with the killer of her husband and son, torn between her duty to avenge the dead and the one to protect her new living children.

I really appreciated the time the author took to explore Clytemnestra’s character (who is also our narrator) and the build-up to the terrible events we all know, rather than simply retelling the exact same story. Her grief and multiple traumas are explored in great detail and really help to understand her feelings towards her children, and the sometimes tormented relationships she had with them. Her hatred towards Agamemnon honestly needs no further explanation, yet we are shown time and again just how horrible and misogynistic he could be.

The exploration and unveiling of the pervasive patriarchy in this society is something I particularly liked, especially in relation to Clytemnestra’s own gradual awareness of it. Initially, she feels trapped in her role as wife and mother, hoping that by conforming to her husband’s and the rest of society’s expectations she might finally find the peace she longs for. And yet, this keeps eluding her and she slowly realises that it doesn’t really matter what she does, because as a woman she will always be seen as inferior, an object to be used and discarded at will by the men in her life.

She might be a poor farm wife and I a queen, but our similarities weren’t lost on me. We were pieces on a gaming board to be claimed, manoeuvred, and discarded by men. Rich or poor, famous or obscure, men made the rules that ordered our lives, and they broke them. She and I were women.

Clytemnestra’s resilience and her mistakes, her slow growth into the powerful and vengeful queen we were told of in the past all contributed to making her a well-rounded and fully developed character, one that I had been longing for in recent myth retellings. I also appreciated the time spent with other often-overlooked characters such as Aegistus, as their relationship slowly developed realistically and organically, and Clytemnestra’s children, with the seeds of future tragedy being planted and foreshadowed throughout.

Despite knowing the story fairly well, I kept turning the pages to see what might happen next and desperately hoping for a miracle. This is a testament to the author’s talent in weaving a compelling story from a well-known tale and her gorgeous writing, holding me captive well into the night and thinking about the moment I could pick this up again during the day. I am really curious to see what she will do with the rest of the story to continue the saga.

This book also includes a very handy character list, which I expect would be really helpful to anyone who is not familiar with Greek myths and their many, many characters. Also, be mindful that this does get pretty brutal at times, so make sure to check the trigger warnings first.

Overall, this is one of the best Greek myth retellings I have read so far. Definitely one not to miss if you like the genre or even if you enjoy stories about powerful women in historical settings.

CONTENT WARNINGS

This book contains mentions of death (including child death and murder), misogyny and sexism, violence (including domestic abuse, sexual violence and rape), pregnancy and birth, animal death, incest, infidelity, and references to war.