House of Names

Powerful novel in modern language and a good dose of author's imagination of the epitome of dysfunctional families, the House of Atreus. In first person, Clytemnestra tells us how she and daughter Iphigenia are lured to Aulis with false promise of marriage by Agamemnon and the girl there sacrificed. We suffer Clytemnestra's mental torments. Her little son Orestes is lured away by his mother by the talk of a promised feast and spends time in a sort of prison for juveniles with other boys. Afterwards he and two companions, now young men, escape from its cruelty and spend years with an old woman in her house by cliffs near the sea. One, Leander, becomes a dear friend; a note of subtle homoeroticism pervades the book. We also see Elektra, show more the sister, convince Orestes to murder her mother. We then hear Clytemnestra as shade, haunting the corridors of the palace. With the ending of Orestes' story there is held out a chance for this family to escape its so far dark fate.

Gods may be invoked but they are either indifferent to humankind or they are dying. This novel had a good bit of creativity on this story; it was brought down from myth to tale of an ordinary family, with its greed, duplicity, manipulation, and yes, love.

Highly recommended. show less

In this imagining — it wouldn’t be fair to call it a re-imagining — of the events surrounding Agamemnon’s sacrifice of his daughter, Iphigenia, and the horrific consequences of that act, Tóibín once again confirms his mastery of tone and touch and pace. Told from the viewpoints of Agamemnon’s aggrieved wife and mother of Iphigenia, Clytemnestra, Orestes, his son, and Electra, his second daughter, Tóibín gives us a measured and nuanced treatment full of righteous anger, ambivalence, and veils of ignorance.

It is always curious to read a story whose broad outline and specific ends one knows well in advance. Although it is a common enough experience for our appreciation of the standard repertoire of, say, Shakespearean dramas, show more it is less common in literature to tread much furrowed ground. Tóibín concentrates on the impressions and understandings or misunderstandings of each of his serial protagonists in close third-person in order to bring immediacy to his tale. And he is such a master of word choice and subtle shifting of pace that you’ll read this like a paperback thriller, turning page after page after page to chase the outcome. Brilliant!

Highly recommended. show less

There are writers that choose to build their own work on stories that have existed for an eternity and create their own vision of them, because they know they have the skills to do so.

There are books that you can see they are glorious 5- star material before you even reach page 50. Colm Toibin is one of those writers and House of Names is one of those books.

"I have been acquainted with the smell of death."

Don't tell me I need spoiler alerts...I shall be very disappointed...

Death is always the main character in the Atreides saga. Agamemnon took the throne of Mycenae through death, he sailed to Troy after sacrificing Iphigenia and was killed by Clytemnestra upon his return to the homeland. Orestes and Electra killed their mother to avenge show more their father. It's a mythical family where blood and death rule. Blood, death and murder....

Colm Toibin makes excellent use of the tragedies and fills the gap between Iphigenia's death and Agamemnon's return, as well as the time between the king's murder and Orestes' matricide, in a superbly crafted way. He treats the characters and the source material with utter respect (which is more than can be said for ridiculous filmmakers and films, e.g."Troy"....) and breathes new life in this timeless story of a cursed family. The manner in which he presents the characters and sheds light on their motives of their actions is exquisite.

Toibin narrates the story in a literary detached manner, as is fitting to the material. These are myths known to all, undying, unchanged. There's no need for the "personal voice" of the author, no need for melodrama. We cannot view a novel based on these characters in the same light as any other common book. Able writers know how to make a well-known story without projecting their voice loudly. It's very interesting to note that while Clytemnestra and Electra's chapters are told in First-Person narration, Orestes' chapters are written in the Third- Person technique. Perhaps to further isolate him from all the conniving of his mother and his sister. Orestes' rendition of Iphigenia's sacrifice is hair-raising and one of the most powerful written pieces I've read. There is also a beautiful reference to the myth of Helen's birth and the death of her brothers, Kastor and Polydeuces, the Dioskouroi as they're forever known.

I am praying to no gods."

There are no gods ruling the fate of our Atreides now. There are only insufficient oracles and prophecies, elders that are unable to make a desicion. Each character obeys to their own personal principles, to their own notion of justice and revenge. What is alive, then? The souls of the slain that linger in dark corridors and shady gardens trying to find their way to the world of men. So here, there is no excuse that the gods dictated them. Each one is responsible for their actions. And the consequences....

The greatest success of this novel is that it preserves the spirit of the myth. The beauty of the characters in Ancient Greek Tragedy is that there is no black and white. Even the ones considered "villains" have their own alibies to justify their deeds. How forward were the ancient dramatists looking...What masterpieces they created and handed down to the generations until the end of time....And Toibin respects and listens as our heroes and heroines speak...

Clytemnestra believes she exacts revenge for the unimaginable terror of losing one of her children. I confess I've always been hesitant to blame her, but she falls victim to her rage and to Aegisthus' cruelty and ambition as he finds the chance to revenge Agamemnon's crimes towards his family. Electra and Orestes are the victims, along with Iphigenia, while Electra has an idealized image of a father who's been a monster of greed and ambition. And she's more like her mother than she'd be willing to admit. ...Orestes struggles to find his way to a world that was taken from him and he becomes a murderer in the process.

Characters like Clytemnestra, Electra, Agamemnon and Orestes cannot be "reviewed". It's almost blasphemy. They are larger than life. It is more than possible that they never existed and yet, they are immortal, eternal. To say Clytemnestra "is bad", Electra "is mad", Orestes "is boring" is -in my opinion- foolish and immature. And pointless. Colm Toibin writes them as three-dimensional characters, sometimes powerful, other times full of doubt, full of love and malice and ambition. But above all, they are human beings, complex and fascinating.

The writer chose a difficult subject that can burn any less skilled author bound to fail in the attempt. He created a novel of exquisite beauty. Not boring or cold or dragging, but respectful, vivid, poetic, raw and dark. It's not an easy read. It wouldn't have the Atreides as its protagonists if it were. It wouldn't have murder as its main theme. As a Greek who has grown up with these myths that run in our blood, I can only say that Toibin made me proud to discover how alive our legendary ancestors still are. I'm not interested in trivial technicalities. For me, this is a book that touched perfection..... show less

There are writers that choose to build their own work on stories that have existed for an eternity and create their own vision of them, because they know they have the skills to do so.

There are books that you can see they are glorious 5- star material before you even reach page 50. Colm Toibin is one of those writers and House of Names is one of those books.

"I have been acquainted with the smell of death."

Don't tell me I need spoiler alerts...I shall be very disappointed...

Death is always the main character in the Atreides saga. Agamemnon took the throne of Mycenae through death, he sailed to Troy after sacrificing Iphigenia and was killed by Clytemnestra upon his return to the homeland. Orestes and Electra killed their mother to show more avenge their father. It's a mythical family where blood and death rule. Blood, death and murder....

Colm Toibin makes excellent use of the tragedies and fills the gap between Iphigenia's death and Agamemnon's return, as well as the time between the king's murder and Orestes' matricide, in a superbly crafted way. He treats the characters and the source material with utter respect (which is more than can be said for ridiculous filmmakers and films, e.g."Troy"....) and breathes new life in this timeless story of a cursed family. The manner in which he presents the characters and sheds light on their motives of their actions is exquisite.

Toibin narrates the story in a literary detached manner, as is fitting to the material. These are myths known to all, undying, unchanged. There's no need for the "personal voice" of the author, no need for melodrama. We cannot view a novel based on these characters in the same light as any other common book. Able writers know how to make a well-known story without projecting their voice loudly. It's very interesting to note that while Clytemnestra and Electra's chapters are told in First-Person narration, Orestes' chapters are written in the Third- Person technique. Perhaps to further isolate him from all the conniving of his mother and his sister. Orestes' rendition of Iphigenia's sacrifice is hair-raising and one of the most powerful written pieces I've read. There is also a beautiful reference to the myth of Helen's birth and the death of her brothers, Kastor and Polydeuces, the Dioskouroi as they're forever known.

I am praying to no gods."

There are no gods ruling the fate of our Atreides now. There are only insufficient oracles and prophecies, elders that are unable to make a desicion. Each character obeys to their own personal principles, to their own notion of justice and revenge. What is alive, then? The souls of the slain that linger in dark corridors and shady gardens trying to find their way to the world of men. So here, there is no excuse that the gods dictated them. Each one is responsible for their actions. And the consequences....

The greatest success of this novel is that it preserves the spirit of the myth. The beauty of the characters in Ancient Greek Tragedy is that there is no black and white. Even the ones considered "villains" have their own alibies to justify their deeds. How forward were the ancient dramatists looking...What masterpieces they created and handed down to the generations until the end of time....And Toibin respects and listens as our heroes and heroines speak...

Clytemnestra believes she exacts revenge for the unimaginable terror of losing one of her children. I confess I've always been hesitant to blame her, but she falls victim to her rage and to Aegisthus' cruelty and ambition as he finds the chance to revenge Agamemnon's crimes towards his family. Electra and Orestes are the victims, along with Iphigenia, while Electra has an idealized image of a father who's been a monster of greed and ambition. And she's more like her mother than she'd be willing to admit. ...Orestes struggles to find his way to a world that was taken from him and he becomes a murderer in the process.

Characters like Clytemnestra, Electra, Agamemnon and Orestes cannot be "reviewed". It's almost blasphemy. They are larger than life. It is more than possible that they never existed and yet, they are immortal, eternal. To say Clytemnestra "is bad", Electra "is mad", Orestes "is boring" is -in my opinion- foolish and immature. And pointless. Colm Toibin writes them as three-dimensional characters, sometimes powerful, other times full of doubt, full of love and malice and ambition. But above all, they are human beings, complex and fascinating.

The writer chose a difficult subject that can burn any less skilled author bound to fail in the attempt. He created a novel of exquisite beauty. Not boring or cold or dragging, but respectful, vivid, poetic, raw and dark. It's not an easy read. It wouldn't have the Atreides as its protagonists if it were. It wouldn't have murder as its main theme. As a Greek who has grown up with these myths that run in our blood, I can only say that Toibin made me proud to discover how alive our legendary ancestors still are. I'm not interested in trivial technicalities. For me, this is a book that touched perfection..... show less

House of Names, Colm Toibin, author; Juliet Stevenson, Charlie Anson, Pippa Nixon, narrators
I really enjoyed the narration of this short novel about a famous Greek myth. In order to retain power and success in battle, Agamemnon has arranged for the murder of his own first born daughter, Iphigenia, to appease the gods who have demanded it. The elders agree that this must be done to save their own lives and protect their families. They agree to tear asunder his family and to take the life of an innocent young girl to save their own. This they believe will turn the tide of battle in their favor. So begins a cycle of deception and violence.
Clytemnestra was deceived into preparing her daughter to be the bride of Achilles. Unwittingly, she show more brought her daughter to her place of slaughter. When her husband, Agamemnon, returns victorious after battle, she is ready to take action to avenge her daughter’s death. Clytemnestra teams up with a prisoner, Aegisthus, to carry out her deed. One murder leads to another in a cycle of violence and betrayal.
Meanwhile, Elektra, sister to Iphigenia, draws her own conclusions about her sister’s death, blaming her mother. Orestes knows his father ordered her murder, but is unaware of anything else that has happened. Both sister and brother have been temporarily neutralized by order of Aegisthus and are imprisoned.
As Toibin reimagines how these characters feel and react, the reader is drawn into the palace and their lives. The secrets that are kept and the deceptions that are planned lead to more and more confusion, rumor and disloyalty. Toibin breathes life into their introspection and behavior.
In this retelling of the story, the characters deal with all the pain of human suffering and the duplicity of those around them. The narrators brought them to life as their performance was not only insightful, but their portrayals felt genuine. I could actually see the shade of Clytemnestra walking in the corridor, feel the blade plunge into the neck of Agamemnon, hear the cries of Iphigenia as she was brought to the slaughter, feel the fear of Orestes as he tried to pretend to be brave and grown up when he was kidnapped and didn’t fully understand his position, and the deceitfulness of Elektra as she carried out her own plans.
I wondered how it would have turned out if Orestes had been a more active participant in the entire process of the palace intrigue. Although he is not, and is rather an observer forced to be on the sidelines, it felt to me like Orestes was the dupe, the foil, the Job like character who was the catalyst for bringing about the events that would take them all into the future. At the end of the novel, there is a germ of greater freedom planted and the yoke of slavery begins to be questioned.
Each character modeled his/her behavior on someone who may or may not have been worthy. Power was constantly changing hands. Fealty was questioned, people were murdered. Elektra’s character was hard to read as she seemed to be part heroine and part villain, as did Aegisthus and even Leander. Orestes seemed to be caught in the trap each laid. I believe the author has done a wonderful job of reimagining this myth, making the inner workings and feelings of the palace and the characters real, rather than objects of imagination.
I am not sure if it is as good a read in a print book, but as an audio, I found it captivating. I could not stop listening and felt regret when I was forced to put it down for awhile by other earthly needs. show less

In this retelling of the Greek tragedy, the author takes a few detours and to some extent reinterprets the story. I found it an interesting take, given other adaptations I've recently read. The sacrifice of Iphigenia is brutal, taking place just after a graphic slaughter of cows, and with both her and her mother attempting to curse the men responsible. Clytemnestra is dragged away and placed in a hole behind a rock: although she saw someone whispering to Agamemnon just beforehand, it seems he must have had more warning of what his womenfolk were liable to do, to have prepared this entombing. Altogether, it is not surprising that she subsequently acts as she does.

The author departs from canon in having Orestes abducted by Aeschylus' men show more and held hostage, then escaping with Leander and another boy. I found the story of how they survive and the contrast in the character of the boys, plus how Orestes learns at such a young age to kill in order to survive, interesting and a little reminiscent of 'Lord of the Flies'. Electra is also different: she develops a network of men loyal to her and it made me wonder who exactly sent "Clytemnestra's men" to carry out atrocities against local opponents, when it was men in her guard who were actually working for Electra. Could she have done such a thing to harden opposition to her mother and further justify her mother's overthrow and murder? Far from being a doormat and a slavish supporter of her brother, she seems to view him as a useful expedient up to the point where he carries out the deed, then as a tool who can be used to legitimise Leander's nephew.

The brief appearance of Cassandra is also a departure from tradition. Far from being tragic and not believed, she is proud and vain. Although she is a 'prize', Agamemnon praises her help in assisting him in his military victories. And Troy as such and Helen aren't really mentioned: instead, Agamemnon's army are embarked on general conquest and plunder, it seems.

The gods, far from playing a dominant role, are actually fading. One of the themes of the book is the loss of their support and rule. Previously, people sensed their presence, especially if someone was about to die. Interestingly, Clytemnestra's actions are condemned because she failed to either take advice from counsellors or to act on divine edict. Given the history of atrocities in the House of Atreus, it seems her actions would have been justified and accepted by her people if a god had ordered her to carry them out. Ironically, Clytemnestra herself has lost all faith in the gods when they failed to prevent her daughter's sacrifice.

Altogether I found it an interesting and well-written interpretation and would rate it as 4 stars.

**** Notes for re-read *****

I read this again after reading 'Clytemnestra' by Costanza Casati to refresh my memory regarding the differences. The two things that stand out is that Aegisthus is a master manipulator in Tobin's novel while being deeply damaged in Casati's, and Clytemnestra is very unevenly written in Tobin's. She is a powerful and convincing character in the section from her own point of view early on, but when viewed by Orestes and others later, is vacillating, trivial and basically a pawn of Aegisthus. It's very uneven and possibly I should reduce the rating to 3 stars but I will let my original rating stand as I did enjoy the book. show less

For this novel, Tóibín borrowed from Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides and then used his imagination to retell a story from Greek mythology.

The novel opens with Clytemnestra’s killing of her husband Agamemnon who sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia so the gods would make the winds blow favourably, thereby allowing the Greek fleet to leave for Troy. Clytemnestra joined forces with her lover Aegisthus but theirs is not a happy life after Agamemnon’s death. Her remaining daughter Electra and son Orestes also suffer as a consequence of their mother’s actions. Violence breeds resentment and more violence.

Clytemnestra’s story is narrated in first person and she, by far, emerges as the most interesting character. I am certain I show more am not the first person to compare her to Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth, an ambitious, manipulative woman who has people murdered while pretending to be weak. She speaks in a “chirping voice” having “learned to sound stupid” and to pretend that she is “foolish or distracted,” but Orestes realizes that she “allowed nothing to escape her. . . Beneath all her simpering and insinuation, there was fury, there was steel.” She is ruthless, but Tóibín succeeds in humanizing her, at least to some extent. She is a betrayed wife horrendously deceived by her husband and a heartbroken, traumatized mother grieving for her daughter. Love of family is certainly part of her motivation. In her post-death monologue delivered from a world of “blankness, strangeness, silence,” Clytemnestra speculates, “Maybe the only reason I wander in these spaces has to do with some . . . feeling, or what is left of it. Maybe that feeling is love.” One cannot help but feel some sympathy for her because she is searching for the son she loves, unaware that he is guilty of matricide.

Orestes is the least compelling character. Interestingly, his sections are narrated in a rather impersonal third person. The reader learns little about Orestes’ feelings about the deaths of his sister and father. He seems a very tentative person, unsure of himself. He is indecisive and is very much dominated by others. He relies on his lover Leander: “He felt the warmth of Lander’s shoulder when he rested his hand on him and the strength of his will, and this gave him comfort.” Electra makes all of the plans for Clytemnestra’s killing, having “worked and prepared” for the act, and she persuades her brother by appealing to his bravery; in the end, Orestes “knew that he would do as his sister had asked.” A portion of the novel is dedicated to his five years away from the palace; I cannot understand why so much focus is given to this insipid young man who is anything but a Greek hero. Orestes doesn’t even know about having sex with a woman; he believes a woman has become pregnant because of him but he has to be told, “’I don’t think that what we do in the dark can make me pregnant. For that to happen, it must be different.’” As in many of Tóibín’s other novels, it is the women who are the stronger, more interesting characters.

Tóibín veers from the original stories by making it clear that characters are responsible for their actions. What happens is not the result of gods intervening in events. In fact, none of the gods are mentioned by name. Clytemnestra emphasizes the disinterest of gods: “They barely know we are alive. For them, if they were to hear of us, we would be like the mild sound of wind in the trees, a distant, unpersistent, rustling sound.” The reader is to see that characters’ actions are the result of very human desires and emotions.

The style is that of understatement. Much is left unsaid. People don’t ask obvious questions and avoid talking about certain topics. When Leander returns to his family, after a five-year absence, “no one wanted to know in any detail precisely where he had been, or what had happened to him. He had been away from them; that was enough.” When Orestes returns home after five years, “He found that both his mother and his sister became nervous if they thought that he was even going to speak.” Instead, people look for “easy topics to discuss” and “think of something soft and pacifying to say.” The word “silence” is used at least 50 times. This is in keeping with a palace “full of lingering echoes and whisperings” where machinations and intrigue abound. Orestes is warned that “’a trusted friend is the one you can least trust.’”

Retellings of classic literature do not always work. This one does. The novel is not one of Tóibín’s most memorable perhaps, but it is definitely worth reading; it gives insight into characters with whom we may be acquainted but not really know.

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