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A review by daneroberts
Henry Henry by Allen Bratton
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Wow, quite the debut! My biggest fear going into this novel was my lack of knowledge regarding the history of English royals but it was mostly okay! I wasn’t so much confused about that as I was confused about the geographical elements of the story. The characters are constantly traversing various parts of England which all blended together for me at some point, but that’s just because I’ve never been to England.
Aside from that I was shocked and taken aback by Hal’s story and journey. The things his father put him and his family through were interesting and deep and complex and I found it fascinating. I love how much the author takes an alternative view on how and what we should feel about our trauma. How, naturally, it isn’t all laid out for us and the lines of good and bad are blurred.
My favorite part was, of course, anytime Hal and Percy interacted- I almost wish there was more of it. I don’t want this to be a romance novel by any means but I would’ve been happy with more Hal and Percy scenes because the way there are written is so enthralling and translucent in my mind, I truly got the dynamic. Their relationship was definitely the most realistic element I could call back to my own life and I enjoyed their perspective on it all.
Aside from my lack of Great Britain geography and some clunky dialogue writing, I was pretty blown away by Henry Henry. Especially as a debut, I truly appreciated the convoluted grey areas of religion, trauma, sexuality, and relationships.
Aside from that I was shocked and taken aback by Hal’s story and journey. The things his father put him and his family through were interesting and deep and complex and I found it fascinating. I love how much the author takes an alternative view on how and what we should feel about our trauma. How, naturally, it isn’t all laid out for us and the lines of good and bad are blurred.
My favorite part was, of course, anytime Hal and Percy interacted- I almost wish there was more of it. I don’t want this to be a romance novel by any means but I would’ve been happy with more Hal and Percy scenes because the way there are written is so enthralling and translucent in my mind, I truly got the dynamic. Their relationship was definitely the most realistic element I could call back to my own life and I enjoyed their perspective on it all.
Aside from my lack of Great Britain geography and some clunky dialogue writing, I was pretty blown away by Henry Henry. Especially as a debut, I truly appreciated the convoluted grey areas of religion, trauma, sexuality, and relationships.