lou's library

A couple of months ago, my sister and I were in the Notting Hill branch of Daunt Books (stunning book shop with a great selection, would highly recommend) and my sister wandered over to me with a book in hand, telling me to read the synopsis on the back. It sounded very intriguing, a Greek mythology retelling with a beautiful cover (admit it, that always helps). She ended up buying and loving it, which is how Lies We Sing To The Sea by Sarah Underwood ended up in my hands.

AND IN MY HEART, because oh boy did this book keep me in its grasp. It’s only about 500 pages long and I read the final 300 of them on a Sunday, totally incapable of doing anything other than find out if Leto, Melantho, and Matias would survive. Because, you see, The Lies We Sing To The Sea is similar to The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller in that it will make you care deeply about its characters, and root for them against all odds. It’s easy to draw even more comparisons between the two: both are Greek mythology retellings, and both feature a queer love story. And both are SAD.

Where The Song Of Achilles focuses on the life of Achilles, The Lies We Sing To The Sea has been marketed as a retelling of The Odyssey, which is a bit of a miss, in my opinion. For while the events in The Odyssey lead to what unfolds in Sarah Underwood’s book, Odysseus never even features in it. It takes place centuries after his death. Basically, Ithaca has been put under a curse by the sea god Poseidon and has to sacrifice twelve innocent girls every year. One of them is Leto, but she ends up being recruited to the task of ending the curse by killing Ithaca’s prince. It all unfolds from there, and with every page time is running out a little more and Leto becomes a little more desperate (and you alongside her, how very fun).

I loved it. I am a sucker for a Greek mythology retelling, and I loved how a lot of the characters aren’t black and white. Melantho, for example, is fierce and passionate to the point of ruthlessness, but she can also be gentle and clearly cares deeply about those she loves. What I will say is that this depth isn’t shown to every character, and sometimes I wished we could have spent more time with some of them. Matias’ mother for instance seemed like a standard villain for most of the book, until at the end we get a little glimpse of her motives, which changed the entire character for me. But I would have needed more than just a glance to really make up my mind about her.

Now, I did compare Lies We Sing To The Sea with The Song Of Achilles, and while I think that is a reasonable comparison, I think it is crucial to go into the former with the right expectations. Sarah Underwood has been criticised for never having read The Odyssey in its entirety and instead gaining her Greek mythology knowledge from Percy Jackson and other pop culture sources (lowkey an iconic move, but also quite daring as the author of a book that leans somewhat heavily on The Odyssey). I think you can definitely criticise her for that, and if you go into this book expecting the intricate knowledge of Greek mythology that Madeline Miller showcases in The Song Of Achilles, then you will likely be disappointed. Lies We Sing To The Sea is a lot more fast paced, and sometimes I wished we could have lingered longer in certain moments, or dived deeper.

Basically, I wanted more from this book. In the end, although I had loved the reading experience and would highly recommend it, I didn’t feel fully satisfied. I feel as though this could have been a trilogy, if the story had been given the time to develop more slowly. Having said that, it’s a greatly entertaining story and if you’re a sucker for love triangles, then you are in for a treat. I’m never quite sure how I feel about them, but this one really got me. Let’s just say our girl Leto has to make a lot of questionable choices in her quest to end the curse.

Is Lies We Sing To The Sea a perfect book? No, and that means it is not the new The Song Of Achilles. But comparing books like that doesn’t always work, and perhaps also isn’t entirely fair. While part of me will probably forever try to find a Greek mythology retelling that I love as much as Madeline Miller’s, perhaps Lies We Sing To The Sea can stand on its own.

Please do let me know if you’ve read this book, as I would love to hear your thoughts. Also, send all your Greek mythology retelling recommendations my way! Happy reading!