Book Review: Hamnet

Believe it or not I had no intention of watching the film last year or reading the book until I was invited to a new book club in Sheffield @sistersocial.club as my bestie is hosting it. Their pick for this month is Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell. There wasn't a particular reason as to why I didn't want to read or watch it other than I thought it wouldn’t be my cup of tea. How times have changed. 

Hamnet is a historical fiction novel all about William Shakespeare's family, focusing around grief. After the death of their son it explores how loss influenced Shakespeare's later work. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this and finished it so fast, I was so shocked how much I enjoyed this. It was a beautifully written story in more than one way. The story of love and connection within motherhood and how it was relayed was moving. 

It is a sad story that opened up to different angles of grief and tried to answer: where do we go when we pass? To answer this and link in with the history of Shakespeare's creations was stunning. The lead up to the end and wondering where this could lead, was perfect. It reflected today's view on parenting and how a father figure has to go to work and ‘carry on’ and the stereotype of not articulating their emotions well. For him to use the only thing Shakespeare could do for his wife which is bring him back through theatre which was magical and emotional all at once. 

From start to finish I was glued and was in awe of the story and everything it stood up for. To represent grief within historical context was clever. Even though it was historical fiction I felt it wasn't thrown at you and was perfectly balanced. With the knowledge of setting the scenes within that time you could put yourself there, without it feeling overcomplicated which in the past I have struggled with in some books.  It made me want to live in the past and stay there.

I enjoyed that it had a dual timeline. They can be confusing at times but you could understand when there was a shift. One half focusing on Agnes and William meeting to the present. Having the context and story of their relationship just made you fall in love with the family.

One thing I found interesting and actually respected so much from O’Farrell was that if you had no idea anything about Shakespeare you wouldn’t have connected the dots. They never fully named him. Which was a major point to make in the book, that it was a story of grief and predominately about Agnes and the children. Yes, he was part of the story and the book makes it clear it is about him and his family. But it was clever to have such a famous figure within the story and still choose to focus down onto who mattered the most in the story. 

Lastly, a part of the book I did not expect was the magical/fantasy side to it. Agnes and her second sight abilities just made it special and explained as a lover of Shakespeare where some ideas may have come from. The label of being a forest girl and how her upbringing impacts the story was important. 

If this isn’t your sign to read something a bit different then I don’t know what it is. 

Overall, I rated this 5 stars.