Sitting in a long tradition of revisiting the Greek classics, Colm Tóibín‘s House of Names (2017) tells of the House of Agamemnon. Agamemnon fought in the Trojan War and, when things weren’t going so well, agreed to sacrifice one of his daughters to the Gods in favor of the Greek cause.
Tóibín begins in the voice of Agamemnon’s wife, Clytemnestra, who has been summoned to battlefield along with their daughter Iphigenia under the pretense of celebrating the imminent Greek victory. Instead, Clytemnestra is imprisoned and then, after Iphigenia’s murder, is sent back home, where she, along with her son Orestes and surviving daughter, Electra, plots her vengeance.
The novel shifts between these characters’ points of view, and the degree their perspectives resonate with the reader is the most likely key to whether you enjoy the novel. For me, the Orestes chapters are the most successful, especially in their description of his exile and return. Tóibín’s brilliance shines through in Orestes’ interiority, and in his gentle longing for the consummation of a relationship with his erstwhile best friend.
The other voices are well-rendered, especially as they drift towards madness at different points, but the palace-intrigue was, for me, less successful than the psychological insights. Still, Tóibín is a master of language, and the confident, steadfast writing carries the book along at a quick pace.
#WhatIWishICouldDo
I’ve often wondered about retelling a well known story. It would seem to address some of my endless struggles with plot, allowing me to focus on some technical components where I think I’m more successful.