Review: Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

 A good start for those interested in mythology retellings, Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne does what most myth retellings fail to do: fill in the gaps. Rather than take chapters to follow the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, a highly referenced classic, Saint instead pours life into the moments the original story never addressed.

Ariadne, Princess of Crete, grows up greeting the dawn from her beautiful dancing floor and listening to her nursemaid’s stories of gods and heroes. But beneath her golden palace echo the ever-present hoofbeats of her brother, the Minotaur, a monster who demands blood sacrifice. When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives to vanquish the beast, Ariadne sees in his green eyes not a threat but an escape. Defying the gods, betraying her family and country, and risking everything for love, Ariadne helps Theseus kill the Minotaur. But will Ariadne’s decision ensure her happy ending? And what of Phaedra, the beloved younger sister she leaves behind?

Due to a lifelong fascination with Ancient Greek mythology, Jennifer Saint read Classical Studies at King’s College, London. She spent the next thirteen years as an English teacher, sharing a love of literature and creative writing with her students.

Many well-done myths follow side characters in their original canon (see Patroclus in The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller) but Saint manages to flip the script by looking into Ariadne as a character outside of her connection to Theseus. The story begins with a close look into her childhood, developing complex relationships and themes of sister- and motherhood that remain strong through the entire novel.

As time passes, we see Ariadne in various stages of her life, first suffocated alongside her sister, Phaedra, by her kingdom of Crete, then trapped and eventually liberated by the island of Naxos. Deceptive men and fickle love seem to be a constant battle for Ariadne, but she manages to find her calm within the storm of betrayal that upturns everything. The women in her life go on similar journeys. Phaedra discovers strength and power in her position as queen of Athens. The girls’ mother, Pasiphae, seemingly finds catharsis following the death of her husband. It's an “I see you” type of story for young women, teaching them it is possible to thrive outside of patriarchal control. The only downside is that it does, at times, edge on the theme of “all men are trash,” which can be both sympathetic and damaging depending on the reading. 

Language and depth were the only two things that held me back from truly loving this book. Saint’s writing constantly slides between hints of antiquity and contemporary English. The attempt to immerse the reader in the time period is evident, however, the level of language is never really kept. I often found myself jarred by a sudden new, youthful phrase buried in the middle of an antiquated paragraph and vice versa. Additionally, Saint’s portrayal of core characters, such as Phaedra and Dionysus, felt agonizingly flat at points. With a timeline as long and fluid as Ariadne’s, there should be ample time to witness the evolution of a character. For Phaedra, a woman who is supposed to be in such a complex situation, who is unable to see opinions and viewpoints other than her own, I wasn't able to believably follow what drove her and her actions. Similarly, Dionysus’ descent into “mediocre god who quickly forgets about his wife” feels incredibly out of character, as did the way it affected Ariadne and led to her death. Was it foreshadowed? Yes. Does it have a place in a book that is supposed to recenter women in Greek myths? Perhaps. But it does make me question the purpose of “recentered” books when the women’s joy isn’t centered, either. 

This doesn’t necessarily hinder the book from being good, but it does keep it from being celebratory. Still, Ariadne is a perfectly suitable debut novel, and I can truly only see Saint going up from here. Her next book, Elektra, releases May 3, 2022, and I'm excited to read it. You can find more about Saint on her website, https://www.jennifersaint.com/, and you can buy Elektra and Ariadne at https://www.flatironbooks.com/ or at any local independent bookstore today.