Author: Kathy Griffith
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: 1 June 2018
Pages: 68
Format: eBook - PDF
Genre: LGBT / Contemporary / Retelling
Source: Birthday Gift
Hamish Winters has a problem.
His father, the CEO of the family business, died in a tragic accident two months ago, and his hated uncle has assumed the role, but there's a problem; he's also married his sister in law--Hamish's mother. What's up with that? Poor Hamish doesn't know what to think, even with a clue he's gotten from an unorthodox source that the "accident" really wasn't. His best friend, Horsinia, is there for him, as well as his lover, Oliver, but the steps he must take to bring his father's murderer to justice might tear them all apart.
Hamish must contend with espionage, hostile corporate takeovers, and ultimate madness to reach his goal. Will he be successful?
Who will survive?
I enjoyed this modern take on Hamlet and thought that Griffith transposed the story well into current times, assigning each character a suitable role in twenty-first century society. I have written my own modern-day Hamlet (though it's not currently out anywhere) and it was fun to see where Griffith made similar choices to my own and where we differed. Griffith kept as close as possible to the source material, and I liked that on the one hand. However, it did lead to a few difficulties with the dialogue. In sticking so tightly to the words of the original play, at times the modern dialogue felt a little stilted and unnatural to my ear. Still, overall this was an enjoyable read and will appeal to Shakespeare fans looking for new takes on old favourites. I would give it 3.5 stars.
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