This is another one of those fateful moments that turn into a post. In the April issue of Bookpage magazine (a freebie found at public libraries), there was recommendation for a book entitled If We Were Villains. The title caught my eye and the blurb was interesting. I added the book to my library queue for future consideration.
Fast forward to a Saturday library visit and I found a copy of Villains on the shelf. I started reading it and was immediately hooked. I also needed a book to take with me for reading on an upcoming vacation. This one was it!
Why here? The book is a wonderful mix of modern fiction and Shakespeare, perfect for any fan of either (and for the author of an occasional blog post relating to all things Shakespearean). To give away anything would be to spoil the book for a reader, so I won't. No lie, though, the ending did elicit a tear or two from this reader. Seeing words from Hamlet appear near the climax and fit perfectly into the action--masterful!
The author, via the main character, Oliver, provides a terrific description of tragedy, and that I will recount here: "[That] is how a tragedy like...King Lear breaks your heart--by making you believe that the ending might still be happy, until the very last minute." This is one book that will stay with me for a very long time.