Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrel

March - Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrel

One of my friends, who is also in my book club, enthusiastically recommended Hamnet. And I am so glad she did. This historical novel set in the 1500s imagines the life of Shakespeare's family. However, O'Farrel doesn't name William Shakespeare in the book, only his play, Hamlet.

A historical note in the opening pages gives us three facts:

In the 1580s, a couple living on Henley Street, Stratford, had three children: Susanna, then Hamnet and Judith, who were twins.

The boy, Hamnet, died in 1596, aged eleven.

Four years or so later, the father wrote a play called Hamlet.

Three things about me:

I am not a devotee of William Shakespeare and have not read everything he has written.

I am not traditionally a fan of works of fiction that imagine the lives of historical figures.

Hamnet may inspire me to change the first two facts.

I have traditionally leaned toward reading literary fiction. I blame this on having an English teacher for a mother and English lit classes. Over the years, I can see that my interests have diversified. Recommendations from friends, librarians, and book store owners have broadened my selections and genres. Genre is not the primary factor in determining whether or not I will enjoy a novel. I love characters. I want to care about the people in the stories, their feelings, and their challenges. Getting pulled into the narrative is the key to creating an enjoyable read, whether literary or mystery, romance, crime, fantasy or historical. We need characters…and beautiful writing.

Hamnet gives us both.

Maggie O'Farrel took me to that house on Henley Street. We become immersed in the drama of their household, the romance between Shakespeare and his wife Agnes (a.k.a. Anne Hathaway), and the pain of losing a child.

Although there were outbreaks of the plague, or pestilence, that ravaged England during Shakespeare's lifetime, he never mentions or writes of it in his works. O'Farrel was curious, and her curiosity inspired her to imagine the pain of losing a child and how that affected his wife and his marriage. It is also true that Shakespeare was only 18 when he married and his wife was 26 years old. O'Farrel also uses the disparity in their ages to speculate about their marriage and their relationship.

William Shakespeare is not center stage in the novel. Instead, the weight of the book hinges on his wife. It is through her eyes, we see Shakespeare and experience their romance and the loss of their child. The presence of Shakespeare sets us in time and place; it gives us a knowledge base and provides a backdrop for the novel. Shakespeare and who he was or wasn't offers enough space for the imagination to fill in the blanks.

And by keeping Shakespeare in the wings, O'Farrel creates a magical story about passion, marriage, loss, and loneliness that would hold up even without him.

You can grab a copy at your local bookstore or at mine, Blue Bicycle Books in downtown Charleston, SC.