This is what no one tells you, in the songs sung about Jason and the Argo. This part of his quest has been forgotten, by everyone but me…
Jason and his Argonauts set sail to find the Golden Fleece. The journey is filled with danger, for him and everyone he meets. But if he ever reaches the distant land he seeks, he faces almost certain death.
Medea – priestess, witch, and daughter of a brutal king – has the power to save the life of a stranger. Will she betray her family and her home, and what will she demand in return?
Medea and Jason seize their one chance of a life together, as the gods intend. But their love is steeped in vengeance from the beginning, and no one – not even those closest to them – will be safe.
Based on the classic tragedy by Euripides, this is Medea as you’ve never seen her before…
As regular (ha – how I flatter myself!) readers of Jo’s Book Blog will know, I’m a huge fan of retellings of Greek mythology, and classicist and comedian Natalie Haynes is definitely up there as a favourite author of these types of novels. As you can imagine, I was thrilled to be invited to read a copy of her latest novel, No Friend to This House, via Netgalley ahead of its publication.
Haynes’ latest novel is a retelling of Medea’s story, typically told, if it’s mentioned at all, as a subplot of Jason and the Argonauts quest for the Golden Fleece. It’s here that Haynes begins her novel – with Jason setting sail aboard the Argo for Colchis in what seems to be an impossible mission. This section of the novel is narrated from various perspectives, none of them Jason’s. Through various points of view, we see a young man, handsome and competent, but not the bravest or strongest aboard the Argo. What is clear is that the Gods, in their whimsy, favour him, and you can’t help but wonder how he’d fare in the challenges he faces without their support.
Perhaps because of the multiple perspectives used, the first section of the novel feels a little disjointed. For me, it improves upon Jason’s arrival in Colchis where the story is told more consistently from the perspective of Medea herself who aids Jason’s quest on the promise that he will take her away from Colchis when he leaves. Through Medea’s actions, Haynes once again so neatly captures the complete lack of heroics on Jason’s part, his success made possible only through intervention of a third party. It’s subtly done – more so than in Haynes’ previous novel, Stone Blind – but works well to show that the hero of the tale isn’t all that he’s been made out to be.
I won’t recount what happens – you’re either familiar with Medea’s story or it would act as a spoiler. One thing that is apparent is that Medea is powerful in her own right, and yet here she isn’t acting under her own agency. Rather, the ever-meddlesome Gods cause her to fall hopelessly in love with Jason, and she aids his quest not of her own volition, but because her hand is forced. It sets the tone for their relationship. Powerful though she is, she must show herself to be secondary to Jason, lest she bruise his fragile ego. It’s a bittersweet tale for Medea as she sacrifices so much for this man who takes her for granted and who is unable to accept either her brilliance or his own mediocrity.
While much of the story was familiar to me, I appreciated Haynes’ take on the narrative, and I love the way that she brings a story to life, transporting the reader to ancient Greece. I also liked getting the backstory to the Fleece itself, as Haynes includes the story of Chrysomallos, the winged, golden-fleeced ram. It’s not covered much in what I’ve read – the Golden Fleece just is – and it was interesting to get the context behind that part of the story, tragic though it is.
As with many retellings, No Friend to This House confirms that Jason is not the hero we’ve been led to believe. Rather, he’s a manipulative charmer, blessed and favoured by the Gods and whose achievements owe much to those around him. Superficially, Medea is a character who’s difficult to sympathise with, but I was firmly on her side throughout this novel. She’s a complex character and I love Haynes’ portrayal of her in this novel.
No Friend to This House will be published by Mantle on 11 September in physical, digital, and audio formats. Huge thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel ahead of publication via Netgalley.
Disclaimer – I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has in no way influenced my review.
Jo's Book Blog 
This sounds well written retelling. I don’t remember much of Medea’s story and now I have to google it.
Haynes writes brilliantly – I’ve enjoyed all of her novels.