This short novel is a reimagining of King Lear.
Henry Dunbar is a mass media mogul, and a widower with three daughters, Abigail, Megan and Florence. Having disinherited Florence for being unwilling to dedicate herself to the company, Abby and Megan are given her own share of the fortune. Unsatisfied with having to wait for full control of the company, they have Dunbar drugged and committed to an asylum in Manchester.
With Dunbar, the futility and remorse of Lear, is clearly and brilliantly depicted. The whole essence of his ordeal was faithful and respectful of its source. The agony to right the wrongs and to escape a world that demands you to be mad is tense and vivid. The scenes of Dunbar’s time in hiding and his thoughts of remorse echo Lear’s tribulations. Florence’s fears for her father and her struggle to protect him from her sisters are well-depicted without being melodramatic. Unfortunately, the characters of Abigail and Megan significantly lower the quality of the entire novel. They exist just to be evil and the author tried too hard to make them appear as such. They had no personality, no evil maturity and menace like the villains in Shakespeare.
This novel will be a disappointment to Shakespeare purists. Since it is intended to be a retelling of Shakespeare’s work, it stands to reason that it would be compared to the original; in this case, there is no comparison.
Posted by: Regina C.
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