Mestra review: A brief but rewarding retelling of this lesser-known Greek myth

Many authors would struggle to pack a punch in just 65 pages. But not Madeline Miller. With her new short story Mestra, she is able to paint a lasting, vivid picture with scant few words.

This book retells the Greek mythology of the Thessalian princess who's gifted with the power of shape-shifting, and uses her abilities to survive her cursed father Erysichthon's eternal hunger.

He is a king in Thessaly who committed a terrible crime of chopping down a sacred grove belonging to the goddess Demeter. As punishment for his recklessness, Demeter cursed him with an insatiable appetite.

Upon hearing of Mestra's new gift, Erysichthon came up with a plan: to sell his daughter to various husbands for food. She would escape by shapeshifting, and the story would begin again.

Where retellings have differed is in the ending. While Erysichthon would always end up eating himself, Mestra's ending was dubious. In Ovid's telling, she finds stability through her marriage to Autolycus.

It's in this space that Miller picks her stance. She plays into the ambiguity around Mestra's ending, whether it’s that she ran off with Hermes or was pregnant with Poseidon's baby.

In Miller's version, Mestra's romantic future remains deliberately unresolved. Her relationships matter less than her quest for autonomy, with Miller restoring an agency often absent from earlier versions of the myth.

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She is wily, and while still dutiful to her father, knows her limits. And when she is physically (and metaphorically) being consumed by him, she takes off. Mestra instead wants to make amends for some of her deceptive actions, especially with the new family she meets while disguised as a cow.

It would be tempting to critique just how short Miller’s version of the story is, and perhaps more could've tantalisingly been squeezed from Miller's penchant for Greek mythology retelling.

But The Song of Achilles author has crafted a finely balanced narrative in which every word feels carefully chosen for its impact. It's a lesson in less being more, and harks back to the effectiveness of oral storytelling which originally kept Greek mythology alive.

Mestra is a brief but rewarding read that showcases the writer’s ability to breathe fresh life into even the lesser-known corners of Greek mythology.

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Authors

Helen Daly is the Deputy Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing new initiatives and commercial projects for the brand. She was previously Deputy TV Editor at a national publication. She has a BA in English Literature and an MA in Media & Journalism from Newcastle University.