silly greek geese

This book didn't end up being quite what I expected, but I was particularly hooked toward the end when the main climax and series of events began to unfold. I didn't expect it to involve Neil and Alice, two hopelessly awkward mortal lovebirds, as much as it did, but the way their mild lives intertwine with the rote routines the Greek gods have developed ended up being the main part of the plot. I liked the opportunities the author took to accentuate tropey parts of the gods' and goddesses' characteristics, like Aphrodite working as a casual phone sex operator, to Apollo being a TV clairvoyant. Clever stuff like that made some of the slower parts of the book worthwhile for me. Because I didn't really know where the plot was going for a while, to be honest. And I still don't quite know if Aphrodite had a motive for the pot-stirring she does at the beginning of the novel, or if she was just bored. If she was in fact just bored, this seems to make the most sense for the general theme of the novel I picked up: immortals have little knowledge of what it means to own up to the consequences of actions, but that doesn't mean major consequences don't exist. Aside from the amusing cover, I purchased this book with the intent to read it for thesis research. It proved to be a great example of what authors can do with the reputations of Greek gods and goddesses, the archetypes they represent, and the clever ways they can be inserted as characters in a modern setting, all crammed into a crumbling, dirty house in London to be specific for this book’s case. For me, it’s an example of what I’m not explicitly doing in my own novel, seeing as my book takes place in a fantasy world with mythological inspirations, but original characters. It becomes clearer as this novel progresses that these deities find their power in acknowledgment from mortals, and that as time moves forward, they aren’t recognized or “worshipped” in the sense that they were once used to and even took for granted. I found this really interesting as I read, to see which deities lost power or had to adapt in strange ways (Hera, Zeus, Artemis), and which seemed to adapt to "regular life" the easiest (Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes). The concept of gods' power being dependent on mortals' belief (or lack of belief) was something I played around with for a bit in my own work, and while I've strayed further away from it now, this novel makes the concept a large part of its plot and the vices of its characters (Poor Athena, she knew all along but just couldn't communicate it in layman's terms).Aphrodite’s scheme to get Apollo to fall in love with Alice (with the perfect aim of Eros’ arrows) seems to be one of the biggest reflectors of the book’s title. Again with the main theme: with no boundaries or limits for consequences, immortal beings will do what they like and hurt mortals who very much have to deal with the consequences of potentially fatal actions. There’s Aphrodite, who messes with Apollo for reasons that seem to be either hidden for most of the book or, ironically, there is no reason other than entertainment. There’s Apollo himself, so far removed from the concept of consent that he has to ask Alice if rape would constitute as hurting her. And Zeus, bedridden and largely forgotten, striking Alice from her body with one of his lightning bolts because of a petty slight. It’s all “bad behavior,” to put it mildly, but putting it mildly completely fits the tone of the book, which I would describe as humorous in a dry, satirical kind of way. I really liked the simplistic dialogue tags, something I'll admit I'm not great at doing in my own writing. The often short and sweet quips and comebacks only add to the book's aloof aura. The imagining of Hades' and Persephone's Underworld felt creative in a classically unique way, too. Obvious thought was put into what life after life can look like, and having a Tube station function as the essential Gateway to Hell made me chuckle. While this wasn't a rapid page-turner for me, I still appreciated the vision and execution of said vision!



Some of my favorite quotes from Gods Behaving Badly:

"One thing about mortals that had never changed was that they all believed themselves to be immortal. He quite liked that about them. It was so arrogant, so optimistic. Like himself on a better day."

"Like parched earth in the rain, she drank in the wonderful contours of his face, the lively expression of his eyes---lively! Was anything lively in the underworld?---the tightening and slackening of his skin as he spoke, every hair, every pore, everything she had tried to conjure up for herself, and tried not to conjure up for herself, throughout that long lonely time without him. And she could see Neil staring at her, and she wondered if her own face was reflecting back that same dazed, amazed look."

"'It's so nice to hear you speak,' said Neil."

"The crowd was chanting, 'Who the fuck is Neil? Who the fuck is Neil?'
...
'Hello,' he said. 'I the fuck am Neil.'"

---