Stalked by Poseidon she is sexually abused by him in Athena’s temple but far from sympathy you would expect from Athena, instead the goddess turns her beautiful hair to a mass of venomous snakes with a promise “woe betide any man fool enough to look upon you now”.įour years on and exiled in a remote island with little company except her two immortal sisters, dog and the snakes that adorn her head, Medusa is entranced by the arrival of Perseus. Medusa was a fourteen-year-old girl who had drawn the attention of Poseidon and Athena for the wrong reasons. A book that is brilliantly conceived, vividly depicted, and expertly written and a book for everyone. However, forget all that because Jessica Burton tells a very human story about Medusa, the young girl who is thrust into an adult world at the tender age of fourteen, as she learns to deal with betrayal and abuse as she write her own story.Ī story that is magical yet tragic and beautiful yet disturbing in its evocative themes, and poignant messaging.
With a look that would turn men to stone, Medusa has earned her place in Greek mythology as the ruthless Gorgon, with a head of snakes. I made a choice, but also that choice was beyond me, waiting for its making” I am telling you this because you need to understand what happened when Perseus turned up on my island. “I had a map I had a star, but I also made hurricanes. Imaginative, different and a story that provides all the elements we have come to expect in a Greek tragedy. (Jan).4 siss-iling stars for the retelling and the reimagining of one of Greek Mythology’s greatest stories. Agent: Juliet Mushens, Mushens Entertainment. Lomenech Gill’s ( Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) angular, full-color illustrations add another layer of depth to the story. Medusa’s first-person voice is formally distant, hinting at her inner turmoil and experiences with misogynistic double standards. In particular, Burton is clear to blame the gods for their own actions, especially Poseidon’s sexual assault of Medusa at age 14.
Burton’s take on the traditional adversaries humanizes both characters, blurring boundaries between hero and monster.
But as they open their hearts to one another, the shadows of Athena and Poseidon loom, ready to turn a romance into a tragedy. Without ever seeing each other directly, the 18-year-olds, portrayed with light brown skin, strike up a friendship, over several days sharing their respective hurts and hopes-though Medusa holds back the exact nature of her curse, afraid of how she might be perceived. Medusa has been living with her sisters on a secluded island, ever since her transformation into a snake-tressed girl, when Perseus docks his boat on her shore. In this haunting reimagining of the myth of Medusa and Perseus, Burton ( The Confession) positions the pair as teenagers swept up in the capricious gods’ machinations, struggling to defy the destinies thrust upon them.
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