Allison Diegel
About 10 years ago, my husband and I started watching all the Oscar-nominated films before we tuned in to the awards show. Over the years, our kids have gotten older, and they now join us in the tradition, which has grown to be something we all love doing together.
This year, one of the noms for Best Picture (amongst several other honors) is a beautiful film based on a beautiful book by Maggie O'Farrell – if you haven't read “Hamnet,” there's no better time than now to lose yourself in a story about Shakespeare… well, sort of. “Hamnet” isn't really about the Bard at all. In fact, the book never even mentions his name. Instead, this gorgeous, heartbreaking book pulls the focus away from the London spotlight and shines it on the muddy, vibrant streets of Stratford-upon-Avon.
At its heart, “Hamnet” is a reimagining of the life of Agnes (historically known as Anne) Hathaway. Forget the "shrewish older wife" trope you might have learned in English class. O’Farrell’s Agnes is a healer, a force of nature, and a woman who sees the world through a lens of folk magic and intuition. She’s the anchor of the family while her "restless" husband is off in London chasing a career in the theater.
The story centers on the summer of 1596, when the bubonic plague—a silent, terrifying guest—creeps into their home. When their eleven-year-old son, Hamnet, falls ill, the world tilts. I’ll be honest: you’re going to need a box of tissues. The way O’Farrell describes grief isn't just poetic; it’s visceral. She captures that specific, hollow ache of a mother trying to outrun fate. It’s a masterclass in how a single death can ripple through a family, changing the DNA of their relationships forever.
But it’s not all gloom. The prose is absolutely lush. O’Farrell has this incredible knack for making the 1500s feel immediate. You can practically smell the dried herbs hanging from the rafters and feel the coarse wool of their clothes. She also weaves in a fascinating "biography" of the plague flea itself, tracing its journey across the globe to the Shakespeare doorstep in a way that feels like a high-stakes thriller.
Ultimately, “Hamnet” is a story about how we transform unbearable pain into art. It suggests that the world’s most famous play wasn’t just a creative whim, but a father’s way of keeping his son’s soul alive. It’s a breathtaking, immersive read that will stay with you long after you close the cover.
Grab a copy of this Hamnet week - and when you're done, watch the film, which is equally captivating and has my vote for an award-winning Oscar run! And as always, don't forget to pop over to my Instagram @allison.the.reader for more book talk.
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