Circe by Madeline Miller

“Circe” (2018) by Madeline Miller retold Greek mythology through the witch-goddess Circe’s feminist lens, becoming literary fiction’s BookTok crossover hit (2020-2023).

Literary Success

Miller’s lush prose reimagined Circe as complex protagonist—not Homer’s villainous seductress but exiled woman finding power through witchcraft. The novel explored isolation, female rage, motherhood, and choosing mortality for love. “The Song of Achilles” (2011), Miller’s queer Patroclus/Achilles retelling, went viral simultaneously.

BookTok Phenomenon

BookTok discovered Miller’s books 2020-2021, despite publication years earlier. Both became #1 bestsellers retroactively. Readers loved mythology retellings centering women and LGBTQ+ relationships. Fan art, annotations, and emotional testimonials flooded TikTok.

Mythology Retelling Boom

Miller’s success sparked mythology retelling trend: Pat Barker’s “The Silence of the Girls,” Jennifer Saint’s “Ariadne,” Natalie Haynes’s “A Thousand Ships.” Publishers chased “Circe for [myth]” pitches, flooding market with Greek/Norse/Egyptian retellings by 2023.

Sources: https://www.newyorker.com/