Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

 

In Stratford-Upon-Avon in 1596, a young boy searches frantically for one of his relatives to let them know his twin sister is gravely ill. When his mother is eventually found it looks as if her premonition will finally come true and she will be left with only two children. 

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell is my book group read for October. I've read some of the author's much earlier work, but never felt drawn to Hamnet despite all the praise it has received. One of the brilliant things about being part of a reading group is reading books I might otherwise avoid. Unfortunately, this story really didn't grip me.

I enjoyed the aspect of the story that focused on Hamnet and his twin sister, Judith. You really feel his devotion to his sister and the helplessness he felt as he tried to find a member of his family. As he raced through the streets of Stratford, you get a sense of the hustle and bustle of Elizabethan England. There is also that sense of horror when you realise that the illness is probably the bubonic plague.

The part of the story that didn't engage me was the romance between Hamnet's parents approximately fifteen years earlier. The change of name of the mother and the complete lack of a name for the father baffled me. I was also bewildered by the structure of the narrative. The two story lines are intertwined, and from the outset we are aware of Hamnet's death. This removed all suspense and uncertainty during some of the scenes, particularly the birth of Hamnet.

The writing is evocative; you can feel the dust, smell the odors of food and rubbish, and imagine the crowds. There was a startling reminder that anyone who had an affinity for nature, who used plants for healing, was treated with suspicion. It was astonishing to see how much freedom children had, but also shocking how much responsibility was placed on them, tasks that children today wouldn't be expected to carry out. I found it amusing to see that teenagers haven't changed much in 400 years; refusing to get out of bed on a morning, demanding food, keeping everyone awake at night, not doing as they are asked.

I am sure that the story will appeal to fans of historical fiction; however, the narrative just didn't captivate me, and the possibility of a hint of mystery was lost because of the structure.

Author Details

Maggie O’Farrell, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, is the author of HAMNET, Winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020, and the memoir I AM, I AM, I AM, both Sunday Times no. 1 bestsellers. Her novels include AFTER YOU’D GONE, MY LOVER’S LOVER, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, which won a Somerset Maugham Award, THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX, THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE, which won the 2010 Costa Novel Award, INSTRUCTIONS FOR A HEATWAVE and THIS MUST BE THE PLACE, and THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT. She is also the author of two books for children, WHERE SNOW ANGELS GO and THE BOY WHO LOST HIS SPARK. She lives in Edinburgh.