Savage Beasts by Rani Selvarajah

Written by a Year 10 Latin student at Queen’s Gate School

Savage Beasts is a modern-day retelling of the story Medea. It is set place in the Indian city of Calcutta during the time of the East India company. It follows the protagonist Meena, who is showcased as the ’Nawabs neglected daughter’, as she falls in love with James Chilcott, nephew of the leader of the East India Company. This book is a story of love, bravery and inevitable tragedy. I personally loved Selvarajah’s characterizations. Meena showcases the cunningness and bravery of Medea almost perfectly along with James having both Jason’s charm and strength. One of the best things in my opinion was how beautifully Selvarajah was able to describe the scenery especially throughout the first chapter, she set the scene so perfectly I felt myself being transported there. Chapter 12 was also superbly written, as Meena tracked through the forest to meet Kiran, Iimyself could feel everything that she was, every emotion was personified. However, one thing I did feel was lacking, was that in my opinion the dialogue seemed a slight bit forced, and alongside the fact that it was not very natural half the time it did not really grasp my attention like the description did. Overall, I think that Selvarajah did a fantastic job retelling the fascinating story of Medea, and I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in classical civilization.