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weronika_k's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ellerspdx's review against another edition
I listened to 50% and couldn’t get into the story.
jabbadawalker's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mikefromarkansas's review against another edition
4.0
I heard this is a loose retelling of Hamlet, but I did not read Hamlet so I cannot compare it to that. I just have liked everything I’ve read of Matt Haig and the audiobook was available on the Libby app so here we are. The story is told in first person by Philip who is eleven years old. His father is murdered. And comes back as a spirit and tells Philip he knows who murdered him and to kill the murderer. I could not tell if Philip was imagining his interactions with his deceased father or if it was real. Because the main character is eleven you may think this is a kid’s book but it is NOT. There is vulgar language and the boy sees his mother and the “supposed” murderer doing adult things in the bedroom. This is definitely for more mature audiences. The narrator, Andrew Dennis, is fantastic. He sounds like a young British boy. I enjoyed the novel and kept wondering if Philip had some mental issues going on. Even the ending kept me wondering.
maggieparedesauthor's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
livres_de_bloss's review against another edition
1.0
Ugh. This was awful!
I hated this for the same reason I hated the "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime”: a monotonous slog of a read narrated by an unsympathetic kid.
It was frustrating. It was dark. It made me feel bad.
I do not recommend this in any capacity. Blech!
I hated this for the same reason I hated the "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime”: a monotonous slog of a read narrated by an unsympathetic kid.
It was frustrating. It was dark. It made me feel bad.
I do not recommend this in any capacity. Blech!
waytoomanybooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a very sad, strange book, but I expected as much, knowing it is a Hamlet retelling though.
The story is told from a young boy’s perspective, which makes the plot even more depressing. The lack of punctuation is a bit tough to follow at first, but then you get used to it. Because this is a sad and strange tale experienced by a child in novel form, I think the sadness will stick with you more than it would after reading adult Hamlet's story in play form. This is definitely not a book to read if you’re feeling down because it really has almost every sad trope you can think of.
It gets points for some truly beautiful moments of prose and for nailing the way a child thinks, feels, and talks, which is consistently strong throughout.
I took points off for the total lack of punctuation and lack of resolution at the end, which runs counter to the original story. Even a depressing resolution, as in the original, is still a resolution. I think Phillip and his mom deserved that much.
The story is told from a young boy’s perspective, which makes the plot even more depressing. The lack of punctuation is a bit tough to follow at first, but then you get used to it. Because this is a sad and strange tale experienced by a child in novel form, I think the sadness will stick with you more than it would after reading adult Hamlet's story in play form. This is definitely not a book to read if you’re feeling down because it really has almost every sad trope you can think of.
It gets points for some truly beautiful moments of prose and for nailing the way a child thinks, feels, and talks, which is consistently strong throughout.
I took points off for the total lack of punctuation and lack of resolution at the end, which runs counter to the original story. Even a depressing resolution, as in the original, is still a resolution. I think Phillip and his mom deserved that much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
evelyncharlton91's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nickleby_shepherd's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
trin's review against another edition
3.0
A retelling of [book: Hamlet] set in modern day England, with a young boy as the protagonist. The whole thing is told in the first person in prose reminiscent of the first chapter of [book: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man]—run-on sentences and a blatant disregard for apostrophes. I found this both effective and annoying, often several times within the same page. The writing's certainly powerful, though, and a wonderful-horrible sense of doom and dread pervades the narrative. I appreciated Haig’s decision to have the thing that swings the story away from Shakespeare’s be his wee Hamlet’s treatment of his pre-teen Ophelia; at 11, he’s not as callous and cruel to her as his adult counterpart. I did not, however, particularly care for Haig’s trying to have it both ways with his Claudius equivalent—he either murdered his brother or he didn’t, and the answer to that question changes everything. Thus, the ending rang false to me. As a whole, I think this book is mostly an interesting experiment, but it doesn’t really say anything new.