Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
Published by Knopf, 2020
My rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
In a bold departure from her previous work, O’Farrell attempts to paint a portrait of the relationship between William Shakespeare and his wife, particularly concerning the death of their 11-year-old son.
It’s important to note that the names Hamnet and Hamlet were entirely interchangeable in Shakespeare’s day, and so the primary question O’Farrell concerns herself with is why The Bard chose to name that particular play/character after his deceased son. The second (and most interesting) thing to note is that Shakespeare is never actually named throughout the novel. By only ever referring to him based on his various roles in life and relationships to others (the son, the husband, the tutor, the father) O’Farrell cleverly accomplishes two things: Firstly, she humanises the myth, reminding us that Shakespeare was much more than just a writer; he was a man who endured the same hardships and cherished the same things as everyone else. Secondly, she vindicates his wife and children, allowing them to take the spotlight for once, subverting the norm of having them defined solely by their connection to him.
With little detail known about Shakespeare’s wife (now believed to have been named Agnes, rather than Anne) or the death of their son, O’Farrell does a great job of breathing life and emotion into their story. I have to say, however, that the narrative structure and pacing didn’t entirely work for me. The first two thirds of the novel are split into a dual timeline, jumping between the early courtship of Shakespeare and Agnes, and the events years later that lead up to Hamnet’s inevitable death. This nonlinearity added nothing for me, and there’s an oddly drawn out attempt at misdirection regarding the fate of Hamnet and his twin sister that felt redundant given both the book’s blurb, and the story’s real-life historical basis.
Initially, I also felt O’Farrell’s prose was somewhat laboured; the push for a rich, evocative feel coming off as overwritten. Whether she found her stride with the historical setting, or whether I simply got sufficiently drawn in for it to stop bothering me, this problem did lessen as the novel progressed. Where the book excelled unwaveringly, however, was its eventual portrayal of a family blindsided by grief. She captures their bewilderment as individuals and as a unit with real fervour.
It’s a daring move for any writer to tackle the intimate life of the writer, and whilst I certainly found it compelling, I do think it ultimately failed to stick a proper landing. O’Farrell clearly undertook this novel with the aim of answering key questions about Shakespeare and his family, but the attempt at a revelatory denouement felt both hurried and underwhelming, proving why those questions have remained unanswered for so long. Still, it’s a book I had high expectations for, and despite feeling it didn’t quite capitalise on its full potential, I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with it.
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
You can pre-order a copy of Hamnet from Book Depository by clicking here.
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Ooh, this is the first blogger review I’ve read of this one. Really interesting thoughts. It’s been SO hyped but I find O’Farrell a much less reliable historical novelist than she is a contemporary one (The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox and Instructions for a Heatwave are my two least favourite of her books). So I will definitely be approaching this with caution, despite being an O’Farrell fan.
This is the third of her books I’ve read (the others being Esme Lennox and I am, I am, I am). There’s something about her work I really like but I’m yet to find that breakthrough read that makes her a favourite.
I’d recommend This Must Be The Place! I loved it.
Good to know! Thanks 😊
This sounds like a great premise, I am sure a lot of us would find it interesting to get some insight into an aspect of Shakespeare, we don’t hear much about. A shame it didn’t quite live up to expectations, but still sounded enjoyable.
It’s certainly worth the read!
Thanks for reviewing this. I’d probably read it if I had the opportunity. I think her writing style is brilliant, her plots and characters less so.
My pleasure! I’d be intrigued to hear your thoughts on this one!
This one is on my TBR and I do still want to read it but I appreciate your measured review and feel like I’ll know better what to expect when I do read it. (Strangely, it appears that this book is going to be called Hamnet & Judith when it comes out in Canada this spring.)
That’s interesting! Judith does play a very big role in the novel, and she is Hamnet’s twin, so I can see why they’d opt for that, but the original title is such an obvious riff on the title of Hamlet that it seems a little odd to change it. Either way, I’m excited to hear your thoughts on the novel once you’ve read it!
It’s interesting when they change titles for different markets; I always wonder what they’ve decided about North American vs UK audiences!
True, I’d be intrigued to know what the exact motivation for the change was.
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Ah, it’s too bad this one didn’t live up to its premise a bit better for you! I’m so drawn to the concept of this book, but it does sound like a very ambitious project. I haven’t read anything by O’Farrell yet (a tragedy, considering how long she’s been on my TBR) so I had no idea what to expect from her writing… hopefully knowing not to expect a flawless book will help me enjoy it more!
Maybe my expectations were too high? I definitely think this is a solid enough book, so I can certainly see others clicking with it more wholeheartedly.
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You make such great points here about the positives and negatives in this novel. I largely agree, though didn’t entirely have the same sense of it being overwritten. I was more confused and underwhelmed at the end since I felt like I was supposed to have a big emotional connection with Shakespeare as a grieving father and I just didn’t. It was almost entirely from Agnes’ perspective which was great and I found her and her process of grieving moving and fascinating. But it seemed like he barely knew his family or his son (which is a tragedy in itself) and so having a fictional account of him didn’t give me any more insight into his writing or motivations. It could have been about any family that experiences this loss which of course humanizes someone thought of as a legend but doesn’t really say anything more than that.
Thank you! Yes, I felt exactly the same way. The climax was presented as though it was supposed to be a moment of revelation regarding Shakespeare himself and the play of Hamlet, but the book lacked the kind of emotional connection to him necessary for that to land, sadly.
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