A couple of years ago I came across author Jennifer Saint and her books retelling Greek myths from the perspectives of women. I read her novels Ariadne (2021) and Atalanta (2022), and bought a copy of her book Elektra (2022) which has been sitting on my shelf for four years waiting for a turn... I actually started it in 2023, but shelved it again as I had recently read Costanza Casati's Clytemnestra (2023), which covers the same ground but from the viewpoint of Elektra's mother. Figuring enough time has passed, I gave Elektra another go.
Elektra is the story of the Trojan War and the Curse of Atreus told by three women: Clytemnestra (Queen of Mycenae), Cassandra (princess of Troy) and Elektra (Clytemnestra's daughter).
Elektra is the daughter of Agememnon, the King of Mycenae and Clytemnestra. Her father heads to Troy to lead the troops in battle. To appease the goddess Artemis and gain a fair wind for the voyage, Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia at Aulis. Clytemnestra will never forgive him for this murder and plots her revenge.
While her father is off at war, Elektra witness her mother becoming closer to Aegisthus. She seeks to keep her father's memory alive so that when he returns he can oust Aegisthus and restore his place as ruler. She tells stories of their father's heroism to her younger brother Orestes, who has no memory of him.
Meanwhile, in Troy, Cassandra foresees the devastation that awaits her family, but also the fall of Agamemnon. When Agamemnon leads his troops home from war, he brings Cassandra with him as his prize. His homecoming is short-lived, as his enrgaed wife welcomes him home with an axe. Elektra will never forgive her mother, so plots with her brother to avenge him.
Saint has chosen to tell this story through the eyes of three women - Clytemnestra, Cassandra and Elektra - but I think the story would have been more impactful if it had left Cassandra out. This would have given more scope for Elektra to become more fully formed, allowing the reader to better understand her motivations. It is not until the final chapters that she fully comes in to her own.
While I enjoyed reading this novel, I much preferred Costanza Casati's Clytemnestra and would recommend that book for someone looking to understand this myth. Elektra is not as strong as the other Saint novels I have read. But I would recommend the audiobook version of this story, as it is narrated by Beth Eyre, Jane Collingwood and Julie Teal, who give sympathetic portrayals of each of the leading women.
My reviews of other novels by Jennifer Saint are also available on this blog:
