Reviews
Till We Have Faces is one of the original myth retellings, written in 1956, compared to the current craze sweeping the publishing world. And it's exactly what a myth retelling should be. C.S. Lewis, in his author's note at the end, says the original myth of Psyche and Cupid found in the Metamorphoses by Apuleius was a source, not an influence or a model. Modern authors need to heed this when they take myths for inspiration but don't do enough to change them in their own retellings!
Till We Have Faces retells the story of Psyche from her sister, Orual's, perspective. This is the first retelling of this myth I have read, and I'll admit, I was not too familiar with the original source material. But Lewis breaks down the original and where he decided to deviate. His creativity and clear passion for this timeless story are evident in this book. He took a story and made it better. Plus, it's somehow more feminist than many retellings claim to be today.
I've never been the biggest fan of male authors writing female leads, but here, it was convincing. Orual is a deeply three-dimensional character; she is flawed yet loves her sister Psyche more than anything in the world. Sometimes female characters written by male authors don't come across as authentic, but Orual does. Her womanhood is not something shameful or sexualized. What I appreciated also about her character is that there were times when I simply did not like her or agree with her actions. But Lewis does not put her on a pedestal, like she does with her sister Psyche. Orual is flawed and human. I enjoyed her as the narrator; she is a strong female character. Indeed, all the characters were incredibly well-written and truly came into their own.
It's been years since I've read any of Lewis' works, from Narnia as a child to The Great Divorce during my freshman English class. So, parts of his writing style, at least in this work, were a bit hard to adapt to. For instance, (and yes I know this is presented as Orual writing her book), he constantly uses parentheses and breaks up the narrative. He even uses them in dialogue. I just thought this constant use of asides could have been accomplished just as well with commas; the more parentheses are used, at least for me as a reader, it visually jars and interrupts my reading.
Parts of this book did feel a little slow, especially because the main action and central conflict takes place pretty early on. The rest is Orual dealing with the consequences of her actions. It then turns into more of a historical fiction piece, which I also always enjoy. Though I don't think the kingdoms of Glome or Phars were ever real places. I enjoyed Orual's queenship immensely.
I don't want to give too much of the plot away, because the differences in the original myth to Lewis' interpretations are the central point of this book. But I loved how he made this myth his own. It was convincing and brutal and beautiful all at once. I've owned this book for a few years now and am ashamed to have never read it until now. But it's everything I look for in a myth retelling; it makes me want to revisit the original myth, but it stands on its own and is just as believable. Because that's how myth should be and how they should work! They are ever-changing. Till We Have Faces is a brilliant piece of fiction. I have a feeling it will stay with me a long time.
A very interesting and unique novel that reveals the depths of humanity's self-deceptiveness (sinfulness) and how this prevents us from seeing how beautiful God truly is. A beautifully crafted (very clever transition between part 1 and part 2) novel that should be read slowly and reflected upon (admittedly more than I did).
*Review also posted at Briar Rose Reads One of my all-time favorites, "Till We Have Faces" is unique among Lewis's works. It is a dark, complex retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche, focusing not on the beautiful Psyche, but rather on her ugly older sister Orual. Lewis creates a beautifully realized world, a gritty land in which threads of truth are woven into the tapestry of myth. Like his world-building, Lewis's characters have great depth, all being capable of both good and evil. Orual in particular is one of my favorite characters ever: ugly, strong, loving, selfish, courageous... A warrior and a leader, in defiance of the physical unattractiveness that caused her to be deemed "worthless" as a child. She makes big mistakes, and she does great things, and in the end her life is defined by love in ways she didn't even realize. Anyone who doubts Lewis's ability to write well-rounded female characters should meet Orual.
Still unpacking!
The best C. S. Lewis' book that I have read, and I have read close to all of them so far. You will find yourself in this book. What you think is love is not what it appears to be.
At first it's all like, "This is a pretty unique take on fantasy. Kind of a cross between a fairy tale and I, Claudius." and then you get to the halfway point and the book hits you in the forehead with a hammer, several times. And you're too shocked to make tears but can't tell because blood is running down into your eyes, and soon you wipe some out and look up you see that Lewis has pulled aside the veil on the face of Love itself, and there reflected in Love's primordial eyes is all the heartbreak you've ever caused, and you burn through the rest of the book as fast as possible because surely, surely there is hope for me? For all of us?
I finished it few days ago and have been thinking about it ever since. It's a book that you can't quite leave when you finish the last page.
4.5 stars. I struggled through the first half, but the rest, the realization of the end, was stunning. I now need my own copy to go back and underline many things.
(2.5)
I really, really wanted to like this. References to ancient Greece, a Psyche reimagining, with some East of the Sun, West of the Moon vibes. Alas, Lewis' riding style was not for me. I found the story boring at times, the narrator annoying and infuriating. I didn't mind the conversations between the characters. I wonder if I would've enjoyed it more if I read the text version instead of listening to the audiobook. Might give this one a re-read later. For now, I didn't enjoy my reading experience with this one.
Couldn’t put it down.
A quick summary I will say that this is a story about complex family relationships and grief. (Spoiler warning) It is not a retelling where the blame is shifted. It is an explanation of actions and why they thought they were in the right.
