Hamnet

Historical fiction reimagining the life of William Shakespeare's family, his wife and children, including the young Hamnet, deceased at a very young age and whose name will forever be associated with the play written by his father. 
I loooooved this so much. Like the previous novel I read of Maggie O'Farrell, her writing is so lush and atmospheric and the use of present tense gives her story a greater depth and intimacy.  I loved the characterisation of the Shakespeares particularly Agnes and I loved her relationship with her brother.  The title character actually doesn't appear much and is much more a pretense to talk about in his family but also themes of motherhood, grief and duty. There was some real emotional moments especially after Hamnet dies and how the family navigates through that trauma.  There are a couple of elements I wasn't a fan of in terms of execution (like how Hamnet became sick and died, I felt it was a bit rushed).  Still this was an incredible read and I'm looking forward to explore more of Maggie O'Farrell works.