I filled my copy of Jennifer Saint’s latest book Atalanta with post-its, which in my case is a sure sign of how much I enjoyed reading this novel, and an indication of definite future re-readings. In Atalanta, Saint does what she does best: gracefully treads the mythical terrain, bringing forth from the margins the enchanting story of a fearless huntress that explores themes of identity and empowerment, and gives the heroine’s journey its due.

The Story

The story begins with a baby girl, a daughter of a king, left to die on the mountainside but who survives thanks to the goddess Artemis. Raised by the nymphs in the Arcadian forest, Atalanta grows into a formidable huntress. And as gods usually do, Artemis sends her off as her champion to join Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece to prove herself worthy and bring glory to Artemis’ name. As the only woman on board of the Argo, in addition to the regular challenges faced by the heroes, Atalanta needs to battle constant disdain, rudeness, and skepticism from her fellow Argonauts.

On Marginalisation of Women

Atalanta is a tale about legacy and memory:
‘People remember what they want. They’ll lap up the tales of the Argo and be all too happy to forget you were ever there. If you’re living in obscurity, hunting in this forest, all that will be left will be rumours. No one will know who you were or what you did.’

Despite her bravery and great accomplishments, like numerous other women, Atalanta is pushed to the margins of the narrative, omitted, erased, because she is a different kind of hero. She’s not a ‘a ruthless, self-serving, glory-seeking man’ but something completely different – a woman who refuses to be treated as an afterthought.

Another such example in this novel is the sorceress Medea, whose story both parallels and contrasts Atalanta’s own. She is a woman who’s supposed to be weak and waiting to be rescued, but who’s actually the main reason that Jason’s quest succeeds. Atalanta doesn’t understand Medea at all. How come a woman who wields such power can make herself lay this power at the feet of a man, especially a man such as Jason (who’s portrayed as borderline incompetent).

A Captivating Protagonist: Freedom and Power

‘Artemis had abandoned me, as surely as my father had when he gave the order for my infant body to be tossed on the hillside. … Artemis had left me to flounder in ignominy, to be forgotten, as the Argonauts were so clearly happy to allow. She wasn’t my mistress any longer; she wasn’t determining what I would do next.’

Jennifer Saint’s formidable protagonist challenges both the social norms and the gods themselves, gods, who like fathers, abandon when they’re needed the most and hence lose their rights to determine her fate. This breach of connection with both her father and Artemis, the emphasis on her free will and the right to choose, gives Atalanta great freedom to be who she already is – wild, strong, and free. Saint rewrites her ending giving it power and unexpected beauty.

‘I needed to remember who I was, who I had always been. A woman who was unafraid.’

Jennifer Saint, Atalanta