Galatea

Format read: hardcoverReading time: 1hTags: historical fiction, trauma, Greek mythology, retellingOwn a copy: yesReread likelihood: 0/10What a strange read. Like most people, I'm a fan of Miller's work (especially [b:The Song of Achilles 13623848 The Song of Achilles Madeline Miller https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1357177533l/13623848.SY75.jpg 16176791]), but this short story was just weird and off the mark. Miller's story is a contemporary retelling of the Pygmalion myth. In the original myth, Pygmalion, a sculptor, creates the perfect woman out of ivory as a response to his disdain for prostitutes. Aphrodite brings his creation to life, and the two marry and have a child (and live happily ever after).By comparison, this short story is told from the perspective of Galatea (the statue-turned-human) as she is interned in what appears to be a psychiatric hospital. We learn that her husband, Pygmalion, has put her there after she tried to escape from him. Pygmalion is shown to be an abusive, controlling man with a penchant for young girls below the age of 15 (yikes).This story is hailed by many as a feminist take on the myth, but Galatea's brand of feminism is strange at best. She grovels, begs, and apologizes to the male doctor and her husband continuously, which you could argue that she's “playing the game” when she does so, but it comes off as cringeworthy instead. She often returns to her ‘original state' of being a stone statue as a sort of defense mechanism, but this only seems to be contrary to the feminist message she is supposed to embody. As for the ‘twist' at the end, I'm not sure it's as impactful as what it pretends to be. Galatea sacrifices herself for her own freedom, which is ironic. Murder is hardly the feminist response we want to encourage. Though she is portrayed as a loving mother throughout the story, the ending contradicts this as she now leaves her daughter orphaned. All in all, this short story just wasn't it for me in terms of what I've come to expect out of Miller's work.