His father is a king and son of kings, and he is an exile. No longer relevant to his family, Patroclus, a young prince, is sent to the isle of Pthia, where he lives with other exiles under the rule of King Peleus, and in the shadow of Prince Achilles.
Prince Achilles is, to Patroclus, everything he is not. Achilles is part god, as his mother, Thetis, is a sea nymph goddess. When the rest of the exiles are sent off to do their chores, Achilles is away playing the lyre. Patroclus hated him, but also, something drew him to Achilles. Once sworn enemies, Patroclus and Achilles become comrades and soon grow close (in spite of Achilles mother’s wishes, who viewed Patroclus as inferior to Achilles). Told through the lens of Patroclus looking back on his life, this tragedy of wartime Greece is breathtaking. The story telling of the pain Patroclus went through as Achilles’ closest companion. Through their times being trained by Chiron and the Trojan war, to the heart breaking ending, this book was fantastic. I haven’t read many books about Greek mythology but this one really got me because of how much raw emotion there was. It was almost as if Patroclus himself was telling me the story of his life. The details of Achilles’ and Patroclus’ relationship and how it evolved through this very life or death conflict they faced together was just incredible. It was raw and humorous and tragic and real. I truly felt so happy and honored to have read this great story. I hope many others will do the same.