Stone Blind: A Novel

Longlisted for the 2023 Women’s Prize for FictionShortlisted for the British Book AwardsThe New York Times 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.“Beautiful and moving.”—Neil Gaiman“Witty, gripping, ruthless.”—Margaret Atwood

They will fear you and flee you and call you a monster.The only mortal in a family of gods, Medusa is the youngest of the Gorgon sisters. Unlike her siblings, Medusa grows older, experiences change, feels weakness. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know.When the sea god Poseidon assaults Medusa in Athene’s temple, the goddess is enraged. Furious at the violation of her sacred space, Athene takes revenge—on the young woman. Punished for Poseidon’s actions, Medusa is forever transformed. Writhing snakes replace her hair, and her gaze will turn any living creature to stone. Cursed with the power to destroy all she loves with one look, Medusa condemns herself to a life of solitude. Until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon. . . .In Stone Blind, classicist Natalie Haynes upends our understanding of this legendary myth, 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.

About the Author

Natalie Haynes is the author of eight books, including A Thousand Ships, which was a national bestseller and was shortlisted for the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction. She has written and recorded nine series of Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics for the BBC. Haynes has written for the Times, the Independent, the Guardian, and the Observer. She lives in London.