I have been postponing Hamnet for months years because I knew it would be sad. Then late this spring, I felt so optimistic and light-hearted and happy (for no reason at all) that I decided it would be the perfect time to read this book without getting bogged down by its themes of mortality and grief.
About Hamnet
Warwickshire in the 1580s. Agnes is a woman as feared as she is sought after for her unusual gifts. She settles with her husband in Henley Street, Stratford, and has three children: a daughter, Susanna, and then twins, Hamnet and Judith. The boy, Hamnet, dies in 1596, aged eleven. Four years or so later, the husband writes a play called Hamlet.
My Review
This was such an amazing book! Amazing but really, really sad. It’s one of those books that I think you can appreciate only if you are a parent, or have lost a loved one.
The first half of the book is quite light – dealing with the romance between Agnes and her husband, building of Agnes’ character, her adjustment to domesticity, the births of their children. The second half deals with Hamnet’s sudden illness and death. And the descriptions of grief just took my breath away.
What is given may be taken away at any time. Cruelty and devastation wait for you around the corners, inside coffers, behind doors; they can leap out at you at any moment, like a thief or brigand.
Agnes’ grief is really hard to read. I had to put down the book multiple times because it was just so, so intense. The author did a beautiful job with the imagery and metaphors.
I have always heard that a child’s death can frequently break up a marriage. And I could see that in action here as Agnes and her husband start to spiral in different directions and start living separate lives.
The ending is wonderfully cathartic. Agnes travels to London to see Hamlet and finally understands her husband’s grief, recognizing that he is hurting as much as she is in a completely different way.
Great writing combined with a great story and unforgettable characters. This might be one of my favorite books this year. Winner of the Women’s Prize for fiction 2020. I highly recommend it if you like historical fiction.
Sounds harrowing but interesting!
It was sad, but didn’t feel too tragedy porn, you know.