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steveob 's review for:
Henry Henry
by Allen Bratton
Wow! What a phenomenal Debut by Mr Bratton. Normally I couldn't think of anything worse than rich British aristocrats whining for 350 pages but my god this was utterly enthralling. Following the story of Hal Lancaster was a stomach-churning, disgust-inducing, heart-wrenchingly queer re-telling of Shakespeare's 'Henriad'. This has also officially topped the list as one of my all-time favourite books.
Hal's story is one to which I can relate fiercely, his needs, his desires, the way he thinks and feels. All interposed with a sarcastic lilt and strikingly beautiful prose that left no description unimaginable to the reader. Bratton exercises such comedic wit juxtaposed in moments where there normally would be no need for it but it did help cut through the horror of things happening around him. I found myself chuckling, constantly, at the things Hal would say aloud.
This book is not all blue blood and laughter though, discussing some pretty dire themes of sexual and physical abuse as well as not shying away from the heavy usage of substances. Delt with and described in such a visceral way that there were times when I needed to take a breather and rot my brain on Instagram for a few moments before getting back into the thick of it.
Overall just an astounding book. Beauty within brutality. An instant classic in the library of B.
Hal's story is one to which I can relate fiercely, his needs, his desires, the way he thinks and feels. All interposed with a sarcastic lilt and strikingly beautiful prose that left no description unimaginable to the reader. Bratton exercises such comedic wit juxtaposed in moments where there normally would be no need for it but it did help cut through the horror of things happening around him. I found myself chuckling, constantly, at the things Hal would say aloud.
This book is not all blue blood and laughter though, discussing some pretty dire themes of sexual and physical abuse as well as not shying away from the heavy usage of substances. Delt with and described in such a visceral way that there were times when I needed to take a breather and rot my brain on Instagram for a few moments before getting back into the thick of it.
Overall just an astounding book. Beauty within brutality. An instant classic in the library of B.