The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker (2018): A Review

Title: The Silence of the Girls

Author: Pat Barker

Publication Year: 2018

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Pages: 293

Source: book

Genre: Historical fiction, Greek Myth, Retelling

Awards: Shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award; Finalist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction

Pat Barker stands among my favorite authors, and my admiration for her work is considerable; I might have focused my dissertation on her novels had I not been committed to Defoe. With that bias acknowledged, let’s see how The Silence of the Girls was.

The novel retells the well-known story of Achilles from the Iliad, but does so through the eyes of Briseis—a woman, a slave, and a Trojan. While the events themselves are familiar, the narrative’s value lies in its perspective: why revisit a story whose every detail is so well-written already?

This novel is not only concerned with Achilles, but with Briseis’s experience of the fall of Troy and the destruction of the Trojan world as she knows it. In particular, it foregrounds the often-silenced stories of women and children taken captive in the aftermath of war. While literature frequently explores the actions and motives of so-called heroes, it rarely explores their emotional landscapes as deeply, favoring the glorification of violence. Notably, as in many retellings, Agamemnon remains an unsympathetic figure, perhaps the most reviled among the cast.

Barker’s central aim is to give voice to women, particularly Briseis, whose stories have so often been marginalized. Some readers may find the attention paid to Patroclus and Achilles distracting, but I found it served a purpose: Briseis’s observations reveal not only the brutality of her captors but also their humanity. Barker presents the grief and trauma of both the victims and the perpetrators without romanticizing or excusing violence. Instead, she uncovers the complex emotional realities beneath the legendary anger and heroism. I wish I remembered more of the Iliad to compare the depth of emotion in both works, but it is clear that Barker’s approach is distinct in its focus on feeling.

Stylistically, the novel is accessible and elegantly written, an easy read that nevertheless delivers emotional and intellectual impact. This was my second reading, undertaken for a book club, as I want to continue with the rest of the series.

My reason for not awarding a full five stars lies in comparison: I find Barker’s other novels to be more compelling and heavy, both in structure and in the literary complexity of their themes.

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