✰ 2.75 stars ✰

“True,’ said Hamlet. ‘But what do you want in return?’
‘To go home,’ said Selby. ‘Without a guilty conscience.’

‘We all of us are sinners,’ said Hamlet.
‘Yes, but that is no excuse to do less than your best,’ said Selby.”

I can't tell you how many times in my life I have used a variation of To be or not to be, one of the most iconic phrases from one of Shakespeare's most lauded plays. So it was a quirky if not quick read that I stumbled into here - one that is not so much a retelling of the king of Denmark's woes, rather a doorway into his life, as fiction merges with reality to show just how much Hamlet is Not OK

“I can learn anything and travel anywhere without leaving town. That is the magic of books. I can travel around the world, into space, back and forth in time. All through the power of reading.”

Aside from suspending disbelief at the notion that one can enter the fictional world of a Shakespearean play and also succeed in bringing certain characters into your own world, the fact that sixteen-year-old Selby had spent nearly two years without doing a smidgen of homework seems absolutely preposterous. 🙄 'There is shame in ignorance – wilful ignorance. It’s about a thirst for knowledge, a curiosity to know more.' But, Selby is a naysayer, a disbeliever - one who doesn't take much stock in the value of reading or books or learning - one who doesn't understand the necessity of studying, more inclined to watch tv, or feel the same compulsion of protecting and savoring books, as her parents take pride in the bookstore they own. But, when English homework requires her to have a better understanding on the play Hamlet, and her parents hire her older brother's close friend, Dan, as her tutor, it's only through sheer power of being that somehow draws the two of them into the play, thus, coming face-to-face to one of the most memorable characters of Shakespeare's plays. 🥺

I do like the idea of entering a fictional world - how many of us haven't dreamed of doing that? 😊 But, it was a unique take here, one where the characters don't exactly become a part of it, but are mere spectators of the events that unfold. Selby's antics may have not been amusing, but it was interesting to see a different side to Hamlet - woe is him, as he faced all his impending cataclysmic moments, ones which Selby wasn't very well-versed in, but by witnessing it first-hand was an enlightening experience for her, if not a necessary one - as it gave her a clearer perspective on so many facets of life. 👍🏻 ‘There are stranger things in heaven and earth than in our imaginations, Selby,’ muttered Hamlet.’ With her own modern day views and opinions, she was also able to provide her own pearls of wisdom to Hamlet and Ophelia, reminding readers how many of Hamlet's ill-timed decisions could have been dealt with differently - how she pulled him back from the dark recesses of his mind and heart - showing that there was a different way to approach things for the future.

“We have to let their story play out,’ said Dan, ‘because, in the world of books, Hamlet is one of the most important stories ever told. And books are important. The advance of ideas and literary expression is how civilisation evolves.”

Combined with some humorous wit and amusing banter, Selby and Dan's time in the fourteenth century also shed light on how valuable literature is to the fabric of time. For we don't always realize how much of an impact these pieces of literary work have shaped history - literary and literally. 😥 It was a nice touch to the story to show whatever advice Selby may be offering to Hamlet, it directly would alter the course of events - for denying Shakespeare the opportunity to write out the play as he felt fit - so much of future scholars and writers and people would not reap the benefits of his creative ideas and phrases. 'That’s how storytelling works – it’s rewritten and retold to make sense to each generation. But the kernel holds true through the ages.' Much like how life influences art, so too does it depict the cause and effect of what could have happened if Hamlet did not kill his father, if Ophelia had married someone else, etc. 😔

“Because you don’t get it. You live here in a building surrounded by books, but you can’t see how important they are. You can’t see the wood for the trees.

Books are time capsules of ideas. They are how knowledge and wisdom and art are transferred through time. They are important. We can’t vandalise that.”

It was funny how Hamlet tried to battle his wits with Selby's more laid-back and level-headed thoughts - how she didn't fall prey to his melodramatic and melancholic thoughts, more inclined to help him see how much more he has to live for. 'Hamlet is a pivotal work in the evolution of English literature' but seeing him as an actual character, one at the brink of life-changing moments and being swayed by Selby and Dan's unintentional intervention may have been just a brief respite for him, but one that would forever change, well, everything. 😢 Dan was a counterbalance to Selby's more hasty and impulsive actions - one well-versed and well-informed about why it wouldn't be right to mess around with a play that has so much value and merit - something Selby's T.V.-addled mind never understood or appreciated. Yet, by seeing it for what it was - by getting a glimpse into something she had no knowledge of awakened in her the realization that there was, indeed, much more for her to learn, and that she shouldn't be so willfully ignorant as she had chosen to be for so very long. 😟

There is an underlying message to why their trip into the play was an important one, one which Selby reflected on after her return - one which helped her accept how much of herself she needs to help herself change for the better. ‘Who knew words could have so much power.’ 👏🏻 I do believe the author had a good idea to share, just could have served with a bit more of an impressive writing to it. One of my major complaints would be that I couldn't quite tell which audience this was for - young adult or middle grade. 🙍🏻‍♀️ Even with Selby being a Year 11 student, I felt that this was more of a read targeted for younger readers with how simple the writing was at times, despite how many of Hamlet's original quotes resonated throughout. I know it's not a bad thing to have simple writing, but it does affect your overall mood. Still, it was a nice bedtime read, one that was fast-paced and still engaging enough for me to not only pick out the actual Shakespeare quotes, but to also appreciate why I still love reading. 📚💕

*Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.