British bookstore chain Waterstones has named Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnetits book of the year.
O’Farrell’s novel, which follows the son of William Shakespeare, won this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction and was named one of the 10 best books of the year by the New York Times. A reviewer for Kirkus called the novel “a gripping drama of the conflict between love and destiny.”
“Indisputably Maggie O'Farrell's masterpiece, Hamnet recreates both a vibrant Elizabethan world and the short, tragic life of Shakespeare's only son in peerless, evocative prose,” Waterstones said. “Passionately championed by our booksellers since its publication in March, this uniquely powerful meditation on love, family and loss demands to be read by all.”
One of those booksellers, identified only as Emma, called the novel “easily one of the best books I’ve ever read…powerful, haunting and uniquely wonderful.”
In a video, O’Farrell offered her “huge and heartfelt thanks” to Waterstones.
“It is such a joy and an honor to be given this,” she said, “because Waterstones’ book of the year is always one that I make sure that I read, because it’s always an interesting and varied and unusual choice.”
Past Waterstones books of the year have included Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, Sally Rooney’s Normal People, and John Williams’ Stoner.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
