Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold

“Holy places are dark places. It is life and strength, not knowledge and words, that we get in them. Holy wisdom is not clear and thin like water, but thick and dark like blood.” - Till We Have Faces. In this timeless tale of two mortal princesses- one beautiful and one unattractive- C.S. Lewis reworks the classical myth of Cupid and Psyche into an enduring piece of contemporary fiction. This is the story of Orual, Psyche's embittered and ugly older sister, who posessively and harmfully loves Psyche. Much to Orual's frustration, Psyche is loved by Cupid, the god of love himself, setting the troubled Orual on a path of moral development. Set against the backdrop of Glome, a barbaric, pre-Christian world, the struggles between sacred and profane love are illuminated as Orual learns that we cannot understand the intent of the gods "till we have faces" and sincerity in our souls and selves. I love the Greek myths and I love retellings, so when I saw that this book counts as a Classic, I decided to make it my November Classic read. This is also the first book I have read by C.S. Lewis outside of the “Chronicles of Narnia” series. Overall, this was a great retelling. I am not super familiar with the story of Psyche and Cupid, but I knew the gist of it before reading. I like the spin that the author took on this story focusing more on Orual’s point of view and felt that it was a fairly philosophical read. It poses a lot of interesting questions and dilemmas through the main character about morals, relationships, decisions, faith, and life. However, I did feel that it was slow in some parts, and some of the side plots didn’t interest me as much. Overall, I am still thinking over the ending and trying to grasp its significance. I do plan to read more C.S. Lewis in the future, so let me know if you have any favorites.

This is a remarkable retelling of the myth of Psyche. Lewis scholarship led him to probe deeply into classical literature, and the richness details make it one reason it’s a great novel. The heroine is Psyche’s sister Oriel. So all is known from her point of view. It is a transformation worthy of Apuleius. I know some object to its ending. Yet the story and the ending echo the Book of Job. And both resonate with my own walk with God. I highly recommend this book. And it is worth reading many, many times.

I usually love everything C.S. Lewis wrote. I prefer his "take" of the psyche myth to earlier versions of this myth, but I did not love it, in spite of the rave reviews by other writers.

With a surprise ending. Good story telling. It will take some time and thinking to figure out all the implications.

Absolutely wonderful story. Lewis hits it out of the park. Definitely helps the reader to understand the overlap between historical truth...and the myths that come out of it. Sometimes, historical truth is more mysterious, beautiful, and sacred than the myths that arise from it....