3.5 stars
Enter the Body focuses on Ophelia, Juliet, Cordelia, and Lavinia as they meet beneath the stage following their deaths in their respective plays. While Lavinia remains silenced, Ophelia, Juliet, and Cordelia take turns retelling Shakespeare's stories from their own perspective, then, in part three, rewriting their stories. The novel is written primarily in verse with sections of prose that serve to set the scenes and conversations between characters in script format.
Each of the three main characters who got a speaking part had a strong and distinct voice, both in the style of their poetry and the different ways they chose to take ownership of their story. I appreciated that changing the narrative for these girls did not always mean giving themselves a simple, happy ending. Their stories could do them more justice and give them what they needed while still remaining tragedies.
I enjoyed the poetry and the ambiance developed in the prose, however, I was less impressed with the script sections. The conversations between characters laid out the author's views and message in a very on-the-nose way and often felt more like a lesson for the audience than an organic conversation between the characters. I felt a little talked down by some of it, like the reader could not be expected to think about these ideas on their own.
Enter the Body focuses on Ophelia, Juliet, Cordelia, and Lavinia as they meet beneath the stage following their deaths in their respective plays. While Lavinia remains silenced, Ophelia, Juliet, and Cordelia take turns retelling Shakespeare's stories from their own perspective, then, in part three, rewriting their stories. The novel is written primarily in verse with sections of prose that serve to set the scenes and conversations between characters in script format.
Each of the three main characters who got a speaking part had a strong and distinct voice, both in the style of their poetry and the different ways they chose to take ownership of their story. I appreciated that changing the narrative for these girls did not always mean giving themselves a simple, happy ending. Their stories could do them more justice and give them what they needed while still remaining tragedies.
I enjoyed the poetry and the ambiance developed in the prose, however, I was less impressed with the script sections. The conversations between characters laid out the author's views and message in a very on-the-nose way and often felt more like a lesson for the audience than an organic conversation between the characters. I felt a little talked down by some of it, like the reader could not be expected to think about these ideas on their own.