The Penelopiad (Margaret Atwood)

The Penelopiad is the retelling of Odysseus from the perspective of Penelope, the young wife of Odysseus, the Greek hero whose adventures and exploits are recounted in Homer's Odyssey. It is playful retelling of a classic that casts a shadow on Odysseus's exploits and heroics and makes us wonder who the hero really was. Atwood uses contemporary language in this retelling while keeping it true to the original epic in the essential and factual occurrences. She also tells us about what was told to the world and what really happened behind the scenes in crucial parts.

A very young Penelope is wed to Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, after a brief contest amongst men who have lined up at her Father's court. By her own accord, she is not a Siren like her cousin Helen (of the "face that launched a thousand ships" fame but is good and kind and sensible. Odysseus wins her hand and the substantial dowry that comes along with her, and takes her to Ithaca against the convention. Here, the newly weds start getting to know each other and Penelope settles into a sort of marital bliss and gives birth to Telemachus. But the ravishing Helen has other plans, namely to ditch her husband Menelaus, and elope with Paris, the Prince of Troy and cause a war that was to be the Mother of all wars before and after. Bound by an oath to Menelaus of Sparta, he has to join the war efforts to bring back Helen. Odysseus leave his young wife and son and sets sail.

Penelope is now left alone to manage the affairs of Ithaca and make sure that the assets of the Kingdom (mainly a lot of cattle, goats, sheep) are taken care of and multiplied. This she does with alacrity and develops a business head for all the dealings. Reports of the war keep trickling in until finally one day news arrives that Troy has fallen leaving behind bodies of heroes like Achilles. But there is no news of Odysseus except that he has set sail to come back. But come back he doesn't. Not for another 10 years. Was this willful because he was enjoying himself too much or was it truly out of his hands? 

As rumours of his death abound, Penelope is plagued by the suitors, over a hundred in number, who want to now marry Penelope and get access to all the wealth of Ithaca. Penelope resorts to various tricks to keep them in line, to get to know their plans and to keep them in suspense of her intentions. In this, she is assisted by her 12 devoted young maids. Her son Telemachus has also grown up into a young man. Finally Odysseus arrives. He slays all the suitors but, for reasons unknown, also mercilessly kills her 12 favourite maids. 

While one knows the storyline from others sources, what makes this a very interesting read, are the observations and commentary of Penelope, that adds layers to the plain and straight story we all know. Penelope is always portrayed as the quintessential faithful wife who manages to stay devoted and loyal to her missing husband. She a single Mother to her son and for years, keeps at bay the throng of suitors who have stationed themselves in Ithaca and may run the kingdom to ruin with their partying. But Atwood's Penelope has her secrets. She leads you on but leaves you guessing about what she really means and what she really does. She drops hints which you make take and interpret any way you like. So did she really stay celebate for 20 years waiting for Odysseus? Did she keep the suitors at bay by pitting one against the other and playing favourites between them? Was she even waiting for Odysseus or has she seen through his tales of bravery adequately peppered with his sexual escapades? And what of the 12 maids? Why were they slaughtered? By moving between Earth and the after world, where from where Penelope is actually telling us her version of events, Atwood creates a double world. She also speaks in the voice of the 12 young maids who ask what they paid the price for.  

This is a short easy read of 157 pages and should be read in one sitting. Do not skip the poems as those are important to the story as well. If you are not familiar with the story of Helen of Troy and the Odyssey, you may want to read the Wiki versions of both these epics for context.