Play Book Tag discussion

Nutshell by Ian McEwan - 4 stars - My Review

This book is an inspired take-off on Hamlet, with nods to other Shakespeare plays, from the point of view of an unborn child. Set in London in 2015, the unnamed narrator hears his mother, Trudy, and uncle, Claude, plotting to kill his father, John Cairncross, a poet. The story follows these nefarious plans and their denouement, while the narrator tries to figure out how to prevent the murder.

Trudy and Claude are despicable villains. They do not care one whit for the unborn child – they drink and engage in sex about twice an hour (I exaggerate only slightly). The narrator worries what will happen to him after birth. He is articulate and knowledgeable about the world. He engages in philosophical musing and witty observations. The author parodies the “typical” murder mystery.

The wordplay in this book is delightful: “I’ve no taste for comedy, no inclination to exercise, even if I had the space, no delight in fire or earth, in words that once revealed a golden world of majestical stars, the beauty of poetic apprehension, the infinite joy of reason. These admirable radio talks and bulletins, the excellent podcasts that moved me, seem at best hot air, at worst a vaporous stench. The brave polity I’m soon to join, the noble congregation of humanity, its customs, gods and angels, its fiery ideas and brilliant ferment, no longer thrill me. A weight bears down heavily on the canopy that wraps my little frame. There’s hardly enough of me to form one small animal, still less to express a man.”

I have to love a protagonist who has been listening to poetry, classic literature, news, and podcasts in utero. It is obviously not for anyone looking for a realistic story, but if you enjoy Shakespeare, you will find something to appreciate here. I found it clever and creative.