A Wounded Name

February 1, 2014
Gr 10 Up-Hutchison's debut novel (Carolrhoda, 2013), a retelling of "Hamlet" through the eyes of damaged Ophelia, sets the tragic tale at exclusive Elsinore Academy. Years before, Ophelia nearly drowned but was saved-her mother was left to die. Now Ophelia sees ghosts, one of which is her mother, now a Morgen; the bean sidhe; and the recently murdered Headmaster of Elsinore. The Headmaster's grieving son, Hamlet Danemark, seeks solace in Ophelia's arms. Their disturbing relationship is based on Dane's feeling that only Ophelia is "real." When Dane kills a man by mistake, he is sent away and the murder is covered up. These events send the already-fragile Ophelia reeling into complete madness. Eventually she meets her end by keeping a promise to her mother that she would someday join her in the sunken city of Ys. Narrator Liz Pearce has a lovely voice; her pacing and timbre are perfect for young Ophelia and the unfolding mystery. The choice of a British actress to voice characters, which, we learn far into the exhaustingly repetitive story, are American, adds to general confusion about the time and place. The premise, and Elsinore Academy, is implausible, but the retelling may find a niche audience in teenage girls who enjoy the super-dramatic love story gone wrong. Hopefully they will recognize that a one-sided relationship that turns violent and where the victim is blamed for the abuse is neither dramatic nor romantic, just tragic.-"Jane Newschwander, Fluvanna County Public Schools, VA"

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

How Shakespeare may have intended Ophelia's back story, if readers can trudge through the unrelenting moroseness. The Headmaster of Elsinore Academy is dead, and his son, Dane (formally known as Hamlet Danemark VI), wants revenge. Ophelia narrates this somber Shakespearean retelling set in the present day. It's clear from the beginning that Ophelia, a product environmentally and genetically of a mother who committed suicide, has mental illness of her own. In her world, spirits of the dead and other fantastical beings make frequent appearances. Hutchison satisfactorily explains the overbearing, patriarchal "trophy wife traditions" of Elsinore, and how this environment influences Ophelia's choices, as well as Gertrude's possible motives. The emphasis, however, is on Ophelia's dark (and unfortunately, tedious) descent into madness, exacerbated by her relationship with Dane, who is battling his own demons. Perhaps the original Edward and Bella, the teens' sexual relationship turns abusive as Ophelia's initial bruises escalate into more violent acts. Readers may cry out for adult intervention, but the author remains true to the original story. Although Hutchison mentions phones and computers a few times, she does little to make the story feel contemporary. An odd mix of modern and transformed Shakespearean speech adds to the effect. As the novel continues, it loses its creativity and becomes strictly a Hamlet remix. For Shakespeare lovers only. (Fiction. 14 & up) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 15, 2013
How Shakespeare may have intended Ophelia's back story, if readers can trudge through the unrelenting moroseness. The Headmaster of Elsinore Academy is dead, and his son, Dane (formally known as Hamlet Danemark VI), wants revenge. Ophelia narrates this somber Shakespearean retelling set in the present day. It's clear from the beginning that Ophelia, a product environmentally and genetically of a mother who committed suicide, has mental illness of her own. In her world, spirits of the dead and other fantastical beings make frequent appearances. Hutchison satisfactorily explains the overbearing, patriarchal "trophy wife traditions" of Elsinore and how this environment influences Ophelia's choices, as well as Gertrude's possible motives. The emphasis, however, is on Ophelia's dark (and unfortunately, tedious) descent into madness, exacerbated by her relationship with Dane, who is battling his own demons. Perhaps the original Edward and Bella, the teens' sexual relationship turns abusive as Ophelia's initial bruises escalate into more violent acts. Readers may cry out for adult intervention, but the author remains true to the original story. Although Hutchison mentions phones and computers a few times, she does little to make the story feel contemporary. An odd mix of modern and transformed Shakespearean speech adds to the effect. As the novel continues, it loses its creativity and becomes strictly a Hamlet remix. For Shakespeare lovers only. (Fiction. 14 & up)

COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2013
Grades 9-12 In a contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, debut author Hutchison sets the famous tragedy at Elsinore Academy, an exclusive private school that is burying its much-loved headmaster, Hamlet Danemark V. Most impacted by his death are his teenage son, Dane, and Dean Polonius' daughter, Ophelia. Readers of Shakespeare know the rest of the story, but just as the Bard adapted history to suit his plays, Hutchison takes literary license as well. This is Ophelia's story, full of her madness and passion that Shakespeare recognized but did not focus upon. She is obsessed with fulfilling her promise to Daneto stay with him alwayseven as Dane's madness escalates and he becomes increasingly physically and psychologically abusive towards Ophelia. Readers will recognize snippets of Hamlet's most famous lines and passages, and Hutchison's detailed descriptions of setting and dress lend ornateness to the narrative that is reminiscent of the Renaissance. Yet the transcendent nature of Hamlet is artfully emphasized by the contemporary characters and setting, and the reality that far too many young women are prone to Ophelia's love-besotted mistake.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2014
Ophelia, haunted by supernatural visions, narrates this modern retelling of Hamlet set in an elite boarding school. Hutchison remains faithful to much of Shakespeare's plot, but her ponderous language, though evocative, may not be much more accessible than the original to some readers.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-This dark novel combines paranormal creatures and the legend of the drowned City of Ys with the events and characters from Shakespeare's Hamlet. It is told from the point of view of Ophelia Castellan, the teenaged daughter of an Elsinore Academy official who must take pills to prevent her visions of supernatural beings. Ophelia's mother drowned herself years before and is now a morgen, a sirenlike being, who tries to convince Ophelia to come to the drowned city in the lake. Ophelia also sees ghosts, including two different versions of the dead headmaster, Hamlet Danemark. As she struggles to come to terms with her visions, she becomes embroiled in an increasingly abusive and troubled relationship with Dane, the grieving son of the deceased headmaster. The troubled boy sees the angry ghost of his father and swears revenge on his Uncle Claudius. When Dane kills her father, Ophelia finds herself descending into madness; she has to decide whether or not to succumb to her mother's importuning. This novel is a very feminist take on the events of the play as it focuses on Ophelia and incorporates recent critical thinking about the tragic consequences of the limitations and restrictions placed on women. At times, the attempts to paraphrase Shakespeare's poetry seem awkward, particularly when juxtaposed with the author's own haunting and evocative prose. Still, readers familiar with Hamlet will be fascinated with this retelling.-Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.