Hamnet

Maggie O'Farrell's novel explores the death of Shakespeare's eleven-year-old son, Hamnet, and the years preceding the creation of his play Hamlet. Set in 1580s England during the threat of the Black Death, the story follows a young Latin tutor from a difficult home who falls in love with Agnes, an unconventional woman known for her healing abilities and knowledge of plants and potions. After they marry and settle on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon, Agnes becomes a devoted mother and anchor in her husband's life as his theatrical career in London begins. Their young son dies suddenly from fever. The novel is set against the backdrop of 16th-century English life and the constant presence of plague, examining how life continues despite devastating loss.