The Penelopiad

This short novel retells the story of the Odyssey from the viewpoint of Penelope, wife of Odysseus. Speaking from the underworld, she looks back on her childhood, her marriage, the long years of waiting, and the crowd of suitors who filled her home.

Atwood also gives a voice to the twelve maids of the household, who comment in songs, rhymes and a mock trial. The book is witty, sharp and sometimes sad. It questions the heroic version of the myth and asks whose accounts are remembered, and what happens to those with little power.