Reviews

Thank you to Random House UK for this arc!

Despite Bratton’s prose being evocative and melodic, unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. The one specific, seriously dark plot point felt completely out of place in the narrative, with no point or consequence/retribution. I couldn’t get past this, finding it to be a bizarre addition to the story. I also felt that the present-day adaptation of the Lord/Duke/Lancaster inheritance premise didn’t quite work — there weren’t really any stakes, other than the Lancaster family probably losing their estates? Unclear.
Moreover, too many characters flitted in and out with no real sense of purpose or effect on the overall storyline — it seemed that the main point for some of them was just to flag that these are ‘Shakespeare’ characters. Finally, the Hal/Percy love story came, and ended, really abruptly. I never really felt like they knew each other, or wanted to be with each other beyond the story requiring it of them. Ultimately, Hal deserved so much better and I wish he’d had the opportunity to have some sort of chance at happiness and to see Henry rightfully punished.
I had high hopes for this book, but they fell short.

esme_bonner's review against another edition

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This was heavy, and literary, but also quite fun. For me, I just reached a point where too many uncomfortable things were happening at once to have the bandwidth to deal with.

Content Warnings

thenorwegianprince's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Henry Henry... Where to begin. I have to say, the cover really drew me in on this one, and I didn't really do my due diligence in researching the book before I started. I will say, the writing here is beautiful, which helps the reader navigate a VERY messy protagonist who really needs extensive professional help. This book could be quite triggering for a lot of people, but the basis in shakespearean tragedy is clear. This is a true love letter to the Henriad, so I think the goal of the author here was certainly met.

I'd recommend this book to fans of writers like Eliza Clark, Otessa Moshfegh, and other "that girl needs help" lit fit fans who want a queer take on this emerging sub-genre. I think this is one of those books that deserves a second read before I really give an update on my experience reading this novel. I will absolutely read more of Allen Bratton's work in the future.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and the Unnamed Press for this ARC copy in exchange for my review.

heyshannonhall's review

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challenging dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I was expecting a queer male counterpart to so many of the "messy girl" lit fic that I read, but in reality this was just depressing. The MC is a mess but has very good reasons to be, so instead of feeling messy in a good way, it was more of a "please get help" messy. I think Allen Bratton has a lot of potential and I didn't hate this, I just found it kind of a challenge to want to finish it. Lots of really beautiful writing though!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

carriebee's review against another edition

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5.0

Hal, the future Duke of Lancaster, lives in the shadow of his noble family and expectations for his future but all he wants to do is drink and do drugs and sink into oblivion. Not big on plot, Henry Henry is primarily a character study of Hal as he navigates the environment he exists in and comes to terms with his family and their past and himself. The novel explores a complicated father son relationship as well as a complex family history that hangs heavily over Hal.

I’m not sure I have adequate words to express my experience with this novel. I was absolutely riveted by Hal. The way Bratton portrays the depth of pain, self loathing, emptiness, unworthiness, and lack of feeling or care for anything is so convincingly crafted. Hal comes off as an entitled, spoiled brat throwing his life away. But as the novel progresses Bratton weaves elements into Hal’s character that create a highly nuanced portrait of a human navigating the complex systems and structures that we exist in. The weight of wealth, faith, and family pulls Hal down to the lowest depths; so far down that he is completely and utterly lost and unsure of how to live or survive and has given up on trying. Behind this wall of protection is a traumatized person responding in the only way he can to his experiences and the environment that surrounds him. In so many ways Hal is a deplorable, unlikeable character but the manner in which Bratton conveys the depths of his humanity is masterful. Despite the dark and heavy content there is an arc of redemption and hope. It is a minimal, understated shift and in a way this made it more realistic and impactful.

As someone who doesn’t gravitate to romance, the romance contained in these pages worked for me. Even when it felt like it might veer over the edge of being too cliche and cheesy for my taste, it never did. It always felt like it went just far enough to explore the issues Bratton brings forward in this novel including deep shame and homophobia and feeling worthy of/deserving of love. There is so much depth to this novel I can’t do it justice in a short Instagram review you’ll just need to read it yourself.

This book has been referred to as a queer contemporary take on Shakspeare’s Henriad which I am not familiar with. While I could envision a Shakespearean connection based on my limited exposure to his work, my lack of knowledge did not negatively impact my experience with this novel.

Please check and heed trigger warnings. There are graphic scenes of abuse that can be very difficult to read. I do think the inclusion furthers aspects of the story, especially how those experiencing abuse navigate the experience and grapple with the role they play in what has occurred and who to tell and when to share their stories. I imagine scenes in this novel could be very triggering for some so please take note and read with caution. I have seen other trigger warnings as well so check them if needed.

I am certain this will be one of my top reads this year, highly recommend it.

Thank you @unnamedpress @netgalley for the #gifted ARCs

camdenuyl's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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