| Author: | Natalie Haynes |
| Pub Date: | 2023 |
| Genre: | Fantasy, Greek mythology, historical fiction |
Stone Blind is a novel retelling the Greek myth of the gorgon Medusa. It was written by Natalie Haynes, a British classicist and writer. The book was nominated for best fiction book at the British Book Awards.[1]
The story follows the life of Medusa, from her birth until the aftermath of her beheading by the demigod Perseus.
The narrative is told through multiple point-of-view characters including the main character Medusa (both before and after her head is severed), an olive tree, and a crow.[2] Several stories, including those of Medusa and Perseus' separate upbringings, the conflict between the Olympian gods and the Giants, and the pained relationship between Hera and her son Hephaestus, are told simultaneously,[3] through a non-linear structure.[4]
The novel uses familiar dynamics and frustrations to modernize the retelling, while placing it firmly in the mythological past. It has been described as a dark-comic retelling.[5]
The book deals with themes of violence and patriarchy as exemplified by the gods. This is personified by the violent actions of Zeus and Poseidon, as well as the cruel machinations of Hera and Athena, towards mortals and monsters alike.