Hamnet - Maggie O'Farrell

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I'll just begin with my thoughts on writing cuz I loved it! The prose felt lyrical and immersive without ever tipping into being overly flowery. There’s a poetic quality to the way the writer captures small domestic moments and infuses them with weight and meaning, which is what made this book so compelling for me. I loved the almost whimsical tone surrounding Agnes. I feel like her mysterious, intuitive, slightly outside the bounds of what is “normal” kinda character gave the book a unique kind of atmosphere. The village gossip about her being “strange,” her connection to the natural world, and her quiet strength as a mother and healer added a mystical, earthy layer to the narrative that I found deeply engaging. It reminded me of Weyward by Emilia Hart and certain other reads that seem to have those sort of mysterious healer-like characters. The way the story was told, shifting between past and present, allowed for a slow build-up of emotional complexity. It’s not a plot-driven novel, but rather a deeply intimate portrayal of a family in flux kind of. There’s so much nuance in how the relationships are drawn, particularly between Agnes and her husband, and later between Agnes and her grief.

I know I've shared this before but what I appreciated most was how the book humanised Shakespeare like he's not that old towering literary icon we know him to be, but as an ordinary man: a boy, a lover, a husband, a father. I loved that he's never once named in the book which I felt was a great choice too because it really shifts the focus from his fame to his relationships.
Also, I liked how grief in this novel is not loud or dramatic but rather a gentle, slow and quiet sort. Agnes’s mourning for her son is written with such raw, aching honesty that it lingers. I especially admired how the story doesn’t rush to resolution or healing but allows the reader to sit with that grief, to understand its many shades. I give this a 4!

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