isn't good but the ways it's not good are mostly not interesting enough to be worth getting into. probably goes without saying that there's not an interesting interpretation of the play here. in terms of more basic craft shit though --

we're constantly told how brilliant and original the Hamlet character is, but his dialogue and internal monologue don't make him sound like a brilliant and original person -- what we're shown instead is a guy who's meditating on life while bleeding to death and lands on a white person kintsugi metaphor that doesn't even really make sense in context. we're constantly told how kind he is, as well, and that doesn't really come through either; we only see him being kind to people he's actively in love with, which doesn't really count in my book (book of Matthew, chapter five, verse forty-six). I would say the characters read young for their ages though on the other hand I have to grant that the whole project is ineluctably Millennial -- chapter epigrams from literally Richard Siken and literally the National, it's demographically precise if nothing else. God. Whatever. Bored of thinking about this now

This is a modern, queer, well-crafted take on Shakespeare's Hamlet, with some magic realism tossed into the mix. As it's been 55 years or so sine I read Hamlet, I'm sure I missed many nods to the original. I decided against reading a summary of the play before starting the book, though I did so after I finished. People with more recent experience with Hamlet, or a better memory of it, might enjoy this more than I did, though I did enjoy it.

There are three alternating POV characters: Lia Brahams, Horatio Patel, and Ben Dane (Hamlet. It took me a while to warm up to Ben and Horatio, but Lia was interesting enough to keep me reading. The plot is familiar. Ben's father, a rich theater owner, has died under suspicious circumstances. Though his death is ruled a suicide, Ben refuses to believe his father killed himself. Learning his mother just married her late husband's brother, sends the emotionally fragile Ben into a tailspin. With the return of his closest friend Horatio, he insists on investigating his mother and uncle/stepfather. Meanwhile, Ben's ex, Lia, is learning about the power of flowers at a florist shop where the owners -- three sisters -- have some mysteries of their own.

Faye is an excellent writer and once I got into the book -- after hitting pause for a couple of weeks -- it was a fast, spell-binding read. I'm glad I stuck with it. ( )

As someone who loves Hamlet I knew I had to read this book as soon as I heard of it. It is a rather clever retelling. It felt very faithful to the source material but still managed to catch me by surprise. I loved the portrayal of these well known characters and was continuously charmed by the prose.
My only main problem with this story was Lia’s plot line. While at the end its relevancy was explained and incorporated into the main plot her narrative often felt out of place compared to Ben and Horatio. One moment they’re investigating murder and the next she’s helping arrange flowers with three strange old women. It was a bit jarring and I kind of wish there could have been some way to involve her more in the main story earlier on instead.
Regardless I really enjoyed this book and it gets kudo’s for making me cry more than any other book so far this year. ( )

This book is somewhat hard to describe. On the surface it is about a peculiar young man (Ben) whose dad apparently commits suicide but he thinks his dad was murdered and he wants to get to the bottom of it. Shortly after dad's death his mom marries his Uncle Claude which makes Ben suspicious. Ben's current love is Horatio but he has a prior lover, a young lady named Liu who sontinues being a character even after her death. Ms. Faye has a creative writing style with many varied print sizes and fonts. In total, the novel is thought provoking and worth reading. ( )

When I realized Lindsay Faye—a very fine writer, indeed—had her own take on the story of Hamlet, I couldn't wait to read it.

Let me tell you, The King of Infinite Space is a remarkable book. Faye plays in productive ways with the original. Horatio is in love with Ben (Faye's version of Hamlet); Lia (Faye's Ophelia) is an avant-garde artist doing installations using horticulture. Faye also ropes in her version of other characters from Shakespeare's plays, including the three weird sisters (Macbeth, anyone?) and Robin Goodfellow (Faye's Puck).

The mix of "variations on" and completely new elements is delightful. Anyone who loves Hamlet is going to love The King of Infinite Space. Enough of the novel's action follows Shakespeare's script that it has the comfort of familiarity, but there are lots of unexpected surprises along the way—"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore" type surprises. The language is pin-sharp. Faye really nails and shares the inner lives of these characters. There's enough menace, absurdness, and humor to make The King of Infinite Space an enjoyable read for those who have never picked up any of Shakespeare's plays. This is a title you don't want to to miss!

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own. ( )