I’ve read only two of Maggie O’Farrell’s ten novels, but, based on just those two I’m convinced she’s a major figure in modern fiction. I’ve already talked about her 2020 novel Hamnet, which won all kinds of prizes and was made into a superb movie in 2025. O’Farrell wrote the screenplay along with director Chloé Zhao, and Zhao nabbed a Best Director nomination and the film a Best Movie nomination. In a stunning performance, Jessie Buckley won the Best Actress Oscar; the last fifteen minutes alone would make her deserving of this award, but, please, see the whole thing. This is one of those movies as good as—but different from—the book on which it’s based, and if you haven’t seen it you are missing one of the best films of the decade. I’m glad I read the book and watched the film, but if you can deal with only one, see the movie.
It was on the basis of the Hamnet novel that my two-person book club essayed another O’Farrell book,The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, published in 2006. Click below to go to the publisher’s page:
It’s a novel about family—albeit a convoluted and dysfunctional one—and is also a bit of a mystery story, in that three related women’s voices are speaking during two different times: in India and Edinburgh in the 1930s and at the present time in Edinburgh. The mystery consists in the reader and the protagonist figuring out what happened to these women, as each had a checkered background. The novel involves are two Scottish sisters, Esme (Euphemia) and Kitty, born in India but who moved to Scotland when their baby brother died. Solving what happened next falls to their descendant Iris, living now, who has her own convoluted life.
To avoid big-time spoilers, I’ll just note that for reasons that will be revealed, Esme was confined in a mental hospital for sixty years, all the while being perfectly sane. During this time her sister Kitty raised a family, but the nature of that family involves a spoiler.
By the present time, while Esme is still confined in a “facility,” Kitty has developed Alzheimer’s and her words appear as a series of incomplete but comprehensible thoughts, thoughts that are unknown to Iris, who has decided to remove Eseme from her asylum and let her live in her home. Iris becomes obsessed with figuring out the family history despite Esme’s laconic nature and Kitty’s Alzheimer’s.
Bit by bit the pieces of the puzzle fall into place as you read, as the book comes to a bumpy and unexpected ending. That’s all I’ll say except that, as in Hamnet, O’Farrell has an eye for detail and is a superb writer.
It’s a short book (243 pp. in my edition), and I should have heard of it but hadn’t. I’m calling it to your attention because it seems relatively unknown despite its excellence. And of course I’m going to look into O’Farrell’s other books, the first of which, After You’d Gone, also received much acclaim.
And when I call books to your notice I hope you’ll let us know what you’ve read lately, especially the good stuff.
Thanks for these tips on O’Farrell’s books, and I will certainly look them up. I’ve been reading the Crews book on Freud currently (The Making of an Illusion), about which I learned in this blog, and which has been fascinating reading. The style of it reminds me of W. Shakespeare’s “unorthodox biography” by Diana Price, which similarly refutes an uncritically accepted history.
I’m still on the waiting list for Hamnet, so I decided to read a different book by O’Farrell – The Marriage Portrait. I highly recommend it.
Another book I highly recommend is the non-fiction book, In Sickness, by Barrett Rollins. Rollins and his now deceased wife were both Harvard medical professors. Despite being an oncologist, his wife refused to get treatment for her breast cancer and even concealed it from Rollins for years. After he found out, she pressured him to collude with her in pretending she didn’t have cancer until it finally became too advanced to hide. Rollins does an excellent job of describing how a normal and highly intelligent person can be manipulated into participating in a folie a deux with someone they love. He is also a superb writer.
Finally, I can recommend two other books I’ve read recently – Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel, both by Emily St. John. She’s a great writer, with imaginative storylines, unique plotting, and complex characters.
I liked The marriage portrait by O’Farrell as well. She also has a new one, Land, that I hope to read from my library soon. I also thought Hamnet was great. I’ve yet to see the movie.
I recently read (listened to) Raising Hare following the recommendation here, and it was great.
I also listened to When the Sea Came Alive by Garrett Graff. It’s an oral history of the D Day landing. It’s awesome.
I recently finished reading “The Gales of November” by John U. Bacon. It explores the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald through the lives not only of the crew but their families as well. The book also explores the culture of the Great Lakes in general but the subculture of the shipping industry of the Lakes in particular. Having lived in Milwaukee for 15 years it brought back many memories. I had no idea that the Great Lakes are so treacherous. I highly recommend the book. The only downside at least for me is I had real trouble getting Gordon Lightfoot’s song out of my head after reading it 🛳️⚓️🛟.
I agree, that’s a good book!
Thanks for the recommendation. Walking up to the library this afternoon to check it out.
Currently reading “The Story of Birds,” by Steve Brusatte, after struggling (somewhat) through his “The Rise and Reign of the Mammals.” Both are somewhat dense for the layperson, but for those who love paleontology and vertebrate evolution, should be enjoyable.
I couldn’t agree more about both the book and film of Hamnet – absolutely wonderful. I have read and enjoyed The Marriage Portrait, and my wife has just finished Instructions for a Heatwave. I’ll be putting Esme Lennox on the list now.
I can’t remember even what I’ve just read so I’ve looked at my library account history to see what jumps out. These are a few of the highlights:
Stone Blind – Natalie Haynes: the story of Medusa, told by Medusa. For me, almost anything by Natalie [we’re on first name terms :)].
Atonement – Ian McEwen; actually not on my recent list, but the one that always comes to mind as my “favourite” book.
Behind the Scenes at the Museum – Kate Atkinson: the story of four generations of a family from York. Atkinson is a wonderful, perceptive writer, but I’m not sure how well the writing travels if you’re not from Britain. Another, is Life after Life.
The Glass Room – Simon Mawer: the room is in a modernist house built in Czechoslovakia between the wars for a Jewish businessman. The story follows the house through Nazi occupation, the Soviets, and finally the Velvet Revolution.
The City and the City – China Melville. Essentially a murder mystery but set in a divided city that occupies a single space. It sounds bizarre, but once you accept the concept, the story is logically sound – no magic involved!
Lincoln in the Bardo – George Saunders: in parts I found this a hard read, as the story gets passed from person to person (or, rather, spirit to spirit), but it really rewards perseverance. This was a book I read because it was all over the media, and I’m so glad I did.
I’m not sure how well the writing travels if you’re not from Britain.
I’m a Yank, and I loved Behind the Scenes at the Museum!
I also loved Atkinson’s collection of (somewhat connected) short stories, Not the End of the World. Thanks to your reminder, I’m going to reserve Life After Life from the library.
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed Behind the Scenes. I’ll take a tip from you and look for her short stories.
I read Hamnet here at home with tears running down my face. When I first heard that a film was to be made, my first thought was, ‘A beautiful book ruined.’ Delta has the film available on the Frankfurt – Atlanta flight. Tired of reading, I gave the movie a look. I was not ashamed of the tears running down my face.
I recently read Lionel Shriver’s A Better Life. Not her best, but I liked it, though it’s quite grim.