Publisher: Vintage (3 Aug. 2017)
ISBN-10: 0099594021
I’ve been looking forward to the paperback release of Hagseed for a long time, and it’s better than I hoped for. Like its source material – Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest”, it’s about betrayal loss, second chances, redemption, revenge and what happens after the curtain falls.
In this modern retelling of "The Tempest", Felix (a director usurped by a supposed friend) is cast as Prospero. Felix’s revenge is both elaborate and life-consuming, but thankfully the novel doesn’t limit itself to the original tale of betrayal and revenge. It is so much more.
Atwood writes male and female characters equally well. From primary to minor “players” the book is full of vibrant individuals, who manage to also represent literary archetypes. You don’t need to know the original play to enjoy this novel, but it adds an extra dimension if you do. Prospero, Miranda, Ferdinand, Antonio, Alonso and Ariel all have their modern equivalents in the narrative. And perhaps the prisoners as a whole are Caliban. He is certainly the character most of them wish to play.
I won’t include a plot summary in my review, but I was left with a strong sense that the characters will have fascinating albeit challenging lives, beyond the final page. The theatre group will continue and the actors/convicts will prove time and again what people can achieve when they can access the necessary tools – they can even create some magic.
The best book I’ve read this year. 5/5 stars.
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