Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet reimagines the life of Shakespeare’s family, centring on the quiet domestic world that sits behind one of literature’s most famous names. The novel traces the events surrounding the death of Hamnet, Shakespeare’s young son, and the echoes of that loss through those left behind.

I struggled with this novel at first. O’Farrell’s writing felt overly descriptive, to the point where it seemed to meander, and it took a while for me to settle into her rhythm. As the book progressed, though, I found myself far more comfortable with her style. The same was true of its structure: the shifting points of view initially were jarring as I’m used to separate chapters for POVs, but they never became confusing.

What O’Farrell excels at is atmosphere. She paints a remarkably vivid picture, both in the emotional themes of the novel and in its physical settings. The environments feel tangible, from the domestic spaces to her depiction of sixteenth-century London, which comes across as chaotic and unclean. I could clearly picture the world these characters inhabited throughout.

The use of flashback is handled with care. Rather than being disorienting, it allows the backstory to emerge gradually alongside the present narrative, deepening the emotional impact without ever feeling like the thread is lost.

I’m no Shakespeare scholar and went into this with little knowledge of his personal life, yet I remained fully engaged. That’s largely because this is not really his story at all. Instead, Hamnet belongs to Agnes. Regardless of what is historically accurate or imagined, O’Farrell crafts a deeply moving exploration of grief, love and life after profound loss, placing Agnes firmly at its emotional centre. It’s a novel that lingers, not for its connection to a literary icon, but for its humane and quietly devastating portrayal of what it means to endure one of the hardest experiences a person could go through.

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