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readwithrichard 's review for:
Henry Henry
by Allen Bratton
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy of HENRY HENRY by Allen Bratton. Because I wanted to offer a fair review, I kept reading even though around the 33% mark I had an urge to DNF.
I really wanted to enjoy this novel more, being a queer twist on Shakespeare (the Henriad series of plays), set in England (one of my favorite settings for novels). The plot focuses on Hal Lancaster, son and heir to Henry, Duke of Lancaster. Recently graduated from college, Hal floats between friendships, hookups, almost-loves, and drug-fueled benders in search of his purpose in the face of a lifetime of sexual and emotional abuse (trigger warnings abound).
Though based on the classics, this is one of those contemporary novels that relies on the atmosphere of drugs and sex and shock value for its “punch,” but which neglects its characters’ inner lives as a result. Though we as readers obviously feel Hal’s pain because of his experiences, especially with his father Henry (perhaps the closest to a fully-developed supporting character), we don’t get enough insight into his inner life for the book’s events to truly have emotional weight.
*spoiler* When Hal and one of his peers come together and form an unlikely bond, my affection for both Hal and this book rose accordingly. But unfortunately, this subplot is never properly resolved or explored.
I enjoyed some of the writing in this book, and reading it felt conversational enough that I always had my bearings as a reader within the world of the novel. I just wish that, in terms of what was there in that world, there was a little more there there, to borrow the echo effect of the novel’s title.
I really wanted to enjoy this novel more, being a queer twist on Shakespeare (the Henriad series of plays), set in England (one of my favorite settings for novels). The plot focuses on Hal Lancaster, son and heir to Henry, Duke of Lancaster. Recently graduated from college, Hal floats between friendships, hookups, almost-loves, and drug-fueled benders in search of his purpose in the face of a lifetime of sexual and emotional abuse (trigger warnings abound).
Though based on the classics, this is one of those contemporary novels that relies on the atmosphere of drugs and sex and shock value for its “punch,” but which neglects its characters’ inner lives as a result. Though we as readers obviously feel Hal’s pain because of his experiences, especially with his father Henry (perhaps the closest to a fully-developed supporting character), we don’t get enough insight into his inner life for the book’s events to truly have emotional weight.
*spoiler* When Hal and one of his peers come together and form an unlikely bond, my affection for both Hal and this book rose accordingly. But unfortunately, this subplot is never properly resolved or explored.
I enjoyed some of the writing in this book, and reading it felt conversational enough that I always had my bearings as a reader within the world of the novel. I just wish that, in terms of what was there in that world, there was a little more there there, to borrow the echo effect of the novel’s title.