Thank you Netgalley for this arc! This was a beautiful tale maybe one that pulled at some heartstrings.

Oh, who am I kidding, it did.

For fans of “a little life “

Henry Henry is a Shakespeare retelling of Henriad. I haven’t read Henriad since high school and I dont remember too much of it, so this book will not be judged off that.

Henry Henry follows Hal as he deals with all the things he’s addicted to, (drugs, sex, catholic confession, his father, being a disappointment) and becomes the person he actually wants to be.

the writing is really great but reallllly dense. sometimes reading it was like walking through thick mud, and i would have to reread lines. in the end, i was invested in all the characters and would’ve loved for the story to continue farther.

I appreciate being able to have access to this but it’s really hard to get through a book when the formatting is off. It’s really distracting and I just didn’t really mesh with the writing.

When Jeremy O. Harris blurbs a book, you know you are going to be in for something completely different. Can I really say I enjoyed this novel? Ehhhh…this is a very heavy book and our protagonist was sexually abused by a family member so do proceed with caution if you are coming into this thinking it’s going to be a fun romp. I do think Hal is an incredibly dynamic character to be sure and I found the story itself very engaging but it just didn’t hit for me the way I thought it would. The writing is exquisite and I am excited to see what Bratton’s sophomore effort will be. Solid 3 stars.

Ugh, I'm a mess after reading this. I seriously didn't really know too much of what I was getting into. I saw the fabulous cover, skimmed the synopsis... and just dove in. This is supposed to be a queer re-imagining of Shakespeare's Henriad, but because I am not familiar with it, I can't speak to that aspect.

Catholic, gay, and eldest son of a duke, Hal is a 22 year old who is so clearly lost that it broke me. He spends his nights with booze and drugs, his days recovering only to repeat the cycle. Unashamed in his debauchery he holds onto shame for something else. So much so that he seems to feel unworthy of love. Even when it is staring him in the face...

Hal was a very charismatic character, making light of certain situations, he comes undone in private and oh my god, what a realistic portrayal of shame and impulse. I will be thinking of this book for a very long time!

Henry Henry is an oft-times dark debut about a queer noble in the 21st century. Hal lost his mother as a child, and his Lord father Henry becomes overbearing towards his eldest son, but is now getting remarried 15 years after being widowed. To cope with many aspects of his life, Hal turns to vices such as sex, drugs, and overspending his father's wealth.

Hal finds himself spending more time with his from-birth rival Harry as their relationship changes from enemies to lovers, much to the displeasure of their noble fathers. Throughout the novel, Hal finds himself wanting to open up about the dark secrets regarding his father.

The writing feels very consistent to how I imagine Hal would speak, and there's sprinklings of humor without risking it becoming a humorous book. I highly enjoyed this book, there was themes within in that made me want to keep reading and find out what is going to happen next.