This is described as a ‘small morsel’ by Miller. The book may be short, but its impact far outweighs its brevity. Miller, whose previous book, Circe upended the patriarchal tradition of Greek myth storytelling, seems destined to have written this book. She, along with Jennifer Saint, is part of a new tradition of writing back to myths and assigning female agency to characters overlooked or exploited.

This story rewrites the myth of Pygmalion – the sculptor who, sickened by the shamelessness of the prostitutes in his town, sculpted his own version of the perfect woman, then prayed to the goddess Venus, who brought her to life. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the life of the animated statue is not her own. She is ‘alive’ merely for the gratification of Pygmalion – the Ancient Greek equivalent of a sex robot. Significantly, she wasn’t even named Galatea in the original – she was merely ‘the woman’. How humiliating.

Here, Galatea asserts her voice by narrating her own story. Galatea is confined/imprisoned. Pygmalion visits her (for sex) and mentions he’s sculpting a new woman. Galatea is to be replaced by another … except Pygmalion mentions that she’s to be aged 10 – the same age as their daughter, Paphos. Galatea’s degradation is bad enough, but she will not stand for the vicarious abasement of her daughter. She needs to plot her escape, return home and save Paphos – whatever the cost to herself. That she now has the power to act signifies the possession of her own agency … at long last.

This short book won’t take long to read but will linger with you. That’s its beauty and its strength. It’s tiny but, like a diamond, it’s a precious gem.

Reviewed by Bob Moore