A new twist on a familiar character; this book puts the playwright inside the story for a change. It follows Shakespeare as he matures into an adult, falls in love, and gradually becomes the person he is meant to be. Despite this, a large part of the narrative is told through the eyes of his wife, Agnes, and the main plot throughout revolves around the life and death of his young son. On many levels this is a love story; it explores parental and familial love, as well as romantic love. However the emphasis seems to be on the risks associated with love and the grief and heartbreak that can result.
I was a bit late to the party with this one, it having already won multiple awards, but I’m glad I finally got around to it. The way this book is written is alluring; the characters, the description, the tone of the narrative, all draw you enticingly inwards until you are lost in the story. The scenery comes alive and the characters feel like real people within only a few pages. The historical details, although almost unimportant compared to the emotion of the narrative, add an extra depth to the book; a layer of realism that acts as an anchor for the unfolding action.
I particularly enjoyed the ambiguous way in which the characters are described, such as referring to William Shakespeare as ‘the Latin tutor’, ‘the father’ and ‘the husband’. Somehow, despite the detached titles, this gives the characters a more personal and intimate air. However, to contrast this Agnes is described in almost excessive detail, bringing her character to life with a unique flair. After finishing the book, it is her character that has stayed with me.
O’Farrell’s most effective, and most cruel, technique is to tell us right in the opening paragraph about Hamnet’s death and then leave us in suspense for the next eighty percent of the book whilst we wait with baited breath for the inevitable outcome. It tinged the entire narrative with sadness whilst also making every moment seem twice as poignant. Somehow knowing what was going to happen made me hungry to keep reading, desperate to reach the inevitable conclusion even as I dreaded it.
Escape to the Bookshelf 