#SongOfAchilles - LGBTQ+ Greek Mythology Romance
Overview
#SongOfAchilles transformed Homer’s warrior epic into a tragic gay love story, winning the Orange Prize for Fiction (2012), selling 7 million+ copies, and becoming BookTok’s most devastating “cry book.”
The Novel
Publication:
- Released March 6, 2012 (Ecco / HarperCollins)
- Madeline Miller’s debut novel
- Orange Prize for Fiction (2012) - Miller’s first novel to win
- 7 million+ copies sold (boosted by 2020 BookTok boom)
- 40+ languages
Plot:
- Patroclus: Exiled Greek prince, clumsy, untalented in combat
- Achilles: Demigod warrior, son of sea nymph Thetis, destined for greatness
- Friendship → love → Trojan War → Patroclus’s death → Achilles’s grief-fueled rampage
- POV: Patroclus narrates, knows his fate (doomed love from page one)
Source Material:
- Homer’s Iliad (8th century BCE)
- Homer’s text: Ambiguous Achilles/Patroclus relationship (companions, possibly lovers)
- Plato, Aeschylus interpreted as romantic in ancient times
- Miller makes it explicitly romantic
Cultural Impact
LGBTQ+ Representation:
- Mainstream literary fiction with gay protagonists (pre-marriage equality)
- Ancient Greece setting avoided contemporary stigma debates
- Normalized queer love story as epic, tragic, universal
BookTok Phenomenon (2020-2023):
- #SongOfAchilles: 600M+ TikTok views
- “Cry book” reputation: Readers posted sobbing reactions
- Ending devastation (Achilles drags Hector’s body, Patroclus’s ghost)
- Teens discovering literary fiction via TikTok
Patrochilles Ship:
- Portmanteau “Patrochilles” or “Patroclus/Achilles”
- Fanart, fan fiction, cosplay (especially post-2020 boom)
- Tumblr/AO3 fandom predated BookTok, surged after
Themes & Symbolism
Doomed Love:
- Readers know Patroclus will die (Homer spoiler 2,800 years old)
- Tragedy: Inevitable fate, fleeting happiness
- Achilles’s prophecy: Glory (die young) or long life (no fame)
Masculinity & Vulnerability:
- Achilles: Warrior poet, gentle with Patroclus, ruthless in battle
- Patroclus: Weak fighter, strong morally, challenges Achilles’s pride
- Subverts “warrior = unfeeling” trope
Fate vs. Free Will:
- Thetis (Achilles’s mother) schemes to prevent his death
- Achilles chooses glory (Trojan War) despite knowing cost
- Patroclus chooses to follow, knowing he’ll die
Immortality Through Story:
- Homer’s Iliad made Achilles immortal (fame beyond death)
- Miller’s novel reframes: Patroclus immortalized too
Critical Reception
Awards:
- Orange Prize for Fiction (2012) - renamed Baileys Women’s Prize 2014, now Women’s Prize
- Lambda Literary Award Nominee (2012)
- Goodreads: 4.33/5 (1.2M+ ratings)
Reviews:
- The Guardian: “A ravishing, hugely ambitious reinvention”
- The New York Times: “A deeply affecting version of the Achilles story”
- NPR: “A book I could not put down”
Criticisms:
- Some classicists: Overly romanticized, sanitizes war’s brutality
- Patroclus too passive (Miller’s choice to contrast with Achilles)
- Pacing: First third slow (childhood, training)
BookTok Resurrection (2020-2023)
Why It Exploded:
- Accessible literary fiction (beautiful prose, emotional depth)
- Gay romance normalized (no “issue book” label)
- Greek mythology aesthetic (TikTok loves myths)
- Devastating ending (BookTok loves cry books)
“I’m Not Okay” Genre:
- TSOA, They Both Die at the End, If We Were Villains, A Little Life
- Readers sought emotional catharsis via tragic fiction
- #BookHangover, #BookTokMadeMeDoIt tags
Legacy
Greek Mythology Retelling Boom:
- Paved way for Circe (2018), Ariadne (2021), A Thousand Ships (2019)
- Legitimized myth retellings as literary, not just genre fiction
LGBTQ+ Historical Fiction:
- Showed mainstream appetite for queer historical narratives
- Alongside Call Me by Your Name (2007), Aristotle and Dante (2012)
Madeline Miller’s Career:
- Launched Miller from Latin teacher to full-time author
- Circe (2018) sold 3M+ copies, HBO series in development
- Combined TSOA/Circe sales: 10M+ copies
Adaptation Rumors:
- 2023: HBO Max rumored development (unconfirmed)
- Fans dream-cast: Timothée Chalamet (Patroclus), various Achilles
Related Tags
#Patrochilles | #MadelineMiller | #GreekMythology | #LGBTQBooks | #BookTok