ANNE & HENRY

Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn are reimagined as private school hooligans (of course).

Henry Tudor is the scion of a powerful family, groomed for greatness in the suburbs of Seattle. Anne is the new girl in town with a hot body, a rough past, and an “eat shit” attitude—“a raven among doves.” Both wounded and lonely, their chemistry is instant, explosive, and too unstable to sustain, let alone overcome the objections of Henry’s friends, family, and trusted advisers in a world of privilege so rigidly scripted that it strangles Henry’s spirit and extinguishes Anne’s spark. Students of history already know where this is headed, but Ius’ creative interpretations of the facts are seductive, and she weaves an intriguing web around the doomed lovers. Her prose evokes both the intoxication of teen lust and the treacherous social landscape of adolescence. The first-person narration, alternating between Anne and Henry, draws a layered portrait of two flawed players in a rigged game who are simultaneously affecting and a bit unlikable in their addled decision-making. The end of the affair has a cinematic flair.

Clever and compelling storytelling from a promising writer.