In Stone Blind, classicist and comedian Natalie Haynes turns our understanding of this legendary myth on its head, bringing empathy and nuance to one of the earliest stories in which a woman-injured by a powerful man-is blamed, punished, and monstered for the assault. Until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon. Cursed with the power to destroy all she loves with one look, Medusa condemns herself to a life of solitude. Writhing snakes replace her hair and her gaze will turn any living creature to stone.

Punished for Poseidon’s actions, Medusa is forever transformed. Furious by the violation of her sacred space, Athene takes revenge-on the young woman. When the sea god Poseidon assaults Medusa in Athene’s temple, the goddess is enraged. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know. Unlike her siblings, Medusa grows older, experiences change, feels weakness. The only mortal in a family of gods, Medusa is the youngest of the Gorgon sisters.

They will fear you and flee you and call you a monster. The national bestselling author of A Thousand Ships and Pandora's Jar returns with a fresh and stunningly perceptive take on the story of Medusa, the original monstered woman. She succeeds in breathing warm life into some of our oldest stories.”- Telegraph (UK) Longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023

Stone blind by natalie haynes