The Mere Wife

This is a prickly book, a retelling of Beowulf where the character of Beowulf is an anti-hero and Grendel and his mother are sympathetic, if hard to understand. Social norms are satirized, especially consumerism and traditional gender roles. There is a fabulously awful chorus of older women who show up throughout the story to criticize the clothing, entertaining, and decorum decisions of Willa Herot, the more traditional of the two main female characters. There's an element of magic to the story, too, as the dead are present and comment on what's happening. The chapters are told from varying perspectives, so the reader is always trying to understand who is speaking when a new chapter begins.

Not only does the story parallel the story of Beowulf, but other elements of Beowulf are also present. Fragments of Anglo-Saxon style alliterative verse throughout the story, and the writing overall has an mythic, epic quality. Chapters begin like poems or songs, with words like “Listen!” “Behold!” and “Lo!”

I really enjoyed this take on Beowulf. The element of social satire and turning the story upside down made me think about the original in a different way. I want to go back to my Seamus Heaney translation and see how many of the surprising bits of The Mere Wife have a parallel there. I highly recommend.

This was an absolutely beautifully written examination of heroes and monsters - how they're created, what drives them, and how the realities that surround them help to shape them.

This book is often described as a modernization of the Beowulf myth, and while it very obviously is that, it goes far beyond that as well, subverting a lot of the tropes of the original story. It's not necessary to be familiar with the old English poem to appreciate the story here, but knowing that connection adds an intriguing layer of depth to the overall story.