Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

 genre: historical fiction

Hamnet is the young child of William Shakespeare, we know that from the start.  He lives in Stradford-upon-Avon with his mother and sisters while his father is in London or abroad.  Inquisitive and bright, Hamnet's light is snuffed too early and this book is a rendering of the kind of grief that can take a heart and completely rearrange it.  Because you never get over the loss of a child, Hamnet is a look at how love can rearrange you - how both romantic and parental love will take our story and change in ways we can't even imagine.  

Yes, William Shakespeare is a part of this imagining of his own past.  But William is not our main character - that would be Agnes, his wife.  Agnes who knows where her peace is, Agnes whose knowledge of plants and the woods has made her a healer and whose love for William is both a blessing and a curse.  It is Agnes who rips my heart out in this beautiful book of how sorrow can sometimes lead to something that stands the test of time.  The last chapter is one of the most tender scenes I have read in a long time.  Poignant in the best of ways.