The Voyage Home (Women Of Troy Book Three) by Pat Barker

 

The Voyage Home (Women Of Troy Book Three) by Pat Barker.

Published 22nd August 2024 by Hamish Hamilton.

From the cover of the book:

After ten blood-filled years, the war is over. Troy lies in smoking ruins as the victorious Greeks fill their ships with the spoils of battle.

Alongside the treasures looted are the many Trojan women captured by the Greeks – among them the legendary prophetess Cassandra, and her watchful maid, Ritsa. Enslaved as concubine – war-wife – to King Agamemnon, Cassandra is plagued by visions of his death – and her own – while Ritsa is forced to bear witness to both Cassandra’s frenzies and the horrors to come.

Meanwhile, awaiting the fleet’s return is Queen Clytemnestra, vengeful wife of Agamemnon. Heart-shattered by her husband’s choice to sacrifice their eldest daughter to the gods in exchange for a fair wind to Troy, she has spent this long decade plotting retribution, in a palace haunted by child-ghosts.

As one wife journeys toward the other, united by the vision of Agamemnon’s death, one thing is certain: this long-awaited homecoming will change everyone’s fates forever.

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After ten long and bloody years, the Trojan war is over. Troy is in ruins and its people vanquished, and it is time for the Greek victors to go home with their spoils. King Agamemnon is returning to Mycenae with his prize, his 'bride' the legendary prophetess Cassandra. Accompanying Cassandra is the long-suffering Ritsa - once a healer, but now reduced to acting as the slave-maid to the woman plagued with visions of death.

Meanwhile, King Agamemnon's wife Clytemnestra has spent ten years ruling in Mycenae in her husband's absence, in a palace full of ghosts. This entire time she has been plotting her revenge for Agamemnon's cruel sacrifice of their eldest daughter, Iphigenia, to the gods in exchange for a fair wind to Troy... 

And so we come to the third, and final, part of Pat Barker's epic Women of Troy series. In a change to the first two books, The Silence of the Girls and The Women of Troy, the action moves away from Troy, and the account of Briseis, to follow the journey of King Agamemnon home to Mycenae. I was a little unsure how I would feel about the absence of Briseis after being totally absorbed by her trials and tribulations, however, Barker knows what she is about in giving voice to Briseis' friend Ritsa, cursed Cassandra, and vengeful Clytemnestra instead to bring her retelling full circle.

Ritsa's narrative provides the perspective of on-looker to the fateful story that plays out as Cassandra's prophecy comes to fruition, resulting in her death and that of the hateful Agamemnon at the hands of Clytemnestra. There are no surprises on the horizon in this part of the tale, but Barker still manages to constantly weave delicious tension as she moves between the perspectives of the wonderful Ritsa, her capricious charge Cassandra, and grieving mother Clytemnestra as she spins her revenge plot. She also does an incredible job of getting into the nitty gritty of the motivations and complex emotions of Cassandra and Clytemnestra as they circle each other - each tied together in an outcomes dictated by the Fates, wanting the same thing, but enemies to the end.

The setting is perfection itself - an eerie palace haunted by the ghosts of children murdered in pursuit of the power games of men, and you feel their malicious presence throughout, which adds beautifully to the powerful themes of love, loss, vengeance, and justice that flood the story. As Barker has done throughout the series, this retelling very much shines a light on the glossed over parts the women have to play in this myth, and this gives you a lot of thought-provoking threads to really get your teeth into. I particularly enjoyed how Barker gives more depth to Clytemnestra's character, exploring her feelings at being relegated back to the position of subservient wife after keeping the kingdom together under the strain of such a long war (as well as the more well-travelled revenge plot that she is know for). The looming presence of the Furies is used very cleverly too, leaving you in no doubt that more horror will be wreaked among her fractured family before the end is nigh.

To my surprise, this turned out to be my favourite of the books from the trilogy by some way (which is saying a lot). Ritsa was such a fabulous character. I adored her and her capacity to see all sides of the charismatic women she was caught between, and was desperate for her ending to be a happy one (no spoilers!). I shed more than a few tears when it was time for me to say goodbye to her. 

I cannot recommend this superb trilogy high enough. By the way, if audio is your bag, the audio books narrated by Kristin Atherton are not to be missed!

The Voyage Home is available to buy now in hardcover, paperback, ebook and audio formats.

About the author:

Pat Barker, CBE, FRSL was born in Thornaby-on-Tees in 1943. She was educated at the London School of Economics and has been a teacher of history and politics.

Her books include the highly acclaimed Regeneration trilogy, Regeneration; The Eye in the Door, winner of the Guardian Fiction Prize; and The Ghost Road, winner of the Booker Prize; as well as several other novels. She's married and lives in Durham, England