Hamnet, published in 2020, is a fictional retelling of the life of William Shakespeare and his family. (Shakespeare’s son was named Hamnet, which at the time was interchangeable with the name Hamlet.) In the novel, Shakespeare is never mentioned by name. Instead, O’Farrell focuses on his wife and children, reinterpreting the small amount of biographical information that exists about them, and encouraging the reader to reconsider the significance of Shakespeare’s family in his life and work.
The novel is written in two parts, opening in 1596 with the frantic attempts of ‘the boy Hamnet’ to find his mother or another adult to help his twin sister Judith, who has become very ill. His search around the house, in the streets nearby and further into the town of Stratford is interwoven with flashbacks to 15 years earlier that trace the first meeting of his parents, the development of their relationship, their marriage and the birth of their children. It soon becomes clear that Judith has the plague, and is likely to die. In a passage of intense magical realism, Hamnet lies down beside his sister and deliberately changes places with her. Being twins, they have often tricked others by swapping clothes so Hamnet hopes to trick Death into believing he is Judith. It works and Judith recovers, but having contracted the plague, Hamnet dies.
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