Book Review: Medea by Rosie Hewlett

‘Medea’ by Rosie Hewlett was released in 2024. It tells the story of Medea, the tragic heroine who married Jason of the Argonauts, killed her brother and then subsequently murdered both of the sons she had with Jason to punish him for leaving her. She is often seen as a wicked and or tragic figure in Greek Mythology thanks to Euripedes’ tragedy ‘The Medea’ and she was a figure I studied while at university, as part of a module on storytelling.

I was looking forward to reading this book from the moment it was announced, mostly due to how loved and respected Medea was by my lecturer. I was so excited to see a story about her as a person and not explicitly her actions.

The book follows the events of the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece, but also offers some context across the exposition-based chapters, informing readers from the start that Medea is the niece of the Goddess Circe, a sorceress, banished to the island Aeaea.

With a punchy beginning, including Medea transforming her older brother into a swine, a spell Circe used on Odysseus’ crew in the Odessy, was a great way to immerse readers into the magic that would follow this woman. I was so excited to read what else she had ahead of her in her life, before Jason, before her betrayals. I knew from the start this would be a fantastic, nuanced portrayal of a classic female figure in Greek Mythology and was swept away from the start.

Hewlett’s depiction of Medea’s life and how a vulnerable, abused child was corrupted, and manipulated, and abused by powerful men under the guise of love was very powerful and heartbreaking. Throughout the story, I found myself slack-jawed and mortified by Jason’s insistence that he had no hand in anything he co-erced Medea into doing. However, his punishment of being unsatisfied with his life after he refused to see sense was fantastic. I loved watching him rot away into obscurity, unable to do anything that compared to his adventures with his crew on the Argo.

Something that took me by surprise was the friendship and camaraderie that came to be between Medea and Atalanta, the Huntress, and only female Argonaut. It made me eager to finally get around to reading her story, too!

I found myself actively hating Jason as a character, frustrated with Medea’s obedience and loyalty to him. Especially as the women in her life desperately tried to pull the wool from over her eyes. The use of dramatic irony was fantastic and I loved how clever it was to have Circe warn Medea of the implications of her fate, with readers, like myself, vehemently agreeing with her, and knowing her path has already been forged.

This book was fantastic, giving Medea a nuanced, painful path to tread, constantly under her husband’s thumb. I loved her going from the tragic victim or villain in the story mythology painted her, to a person who felt real. She has blood on her hands, she experiences raw emotions and struggles with guilt and grief. She dreams of a future and prosperity and goodness, despite succumbing to the seductions of dark magic. She was a fantastic character to follow and I very much enjoyed her story. I’d definitely recommend Hewlett’s book to anyone looking to explore feminist mythology retellings!