This book is a modern day re-telling of William Shakespeare's Hamlet, but from Ophelia's point of view. This book contains everything you want in a novel: drama, wealth, royalty, betrayal, and intrigue. The story is told three different ways. The first is Ophelia's narration, which she claims is the complete truth. The second a description of a TV interview between Ophelia and a talk show host named Zara. The third is a transcript from when the DDI (Denmark Department of Investigation) questions Ophelia. I liked the way Ray uses the three different stories to relate the happenings in the castle as the King dies, Hamlet goes crazy, and Ophelia's life crumbles. From Ophelia's three versions of what happened the reader can see just how bendable the truth is. It left me wondering, with all of the madness going on among the royals, what really did happen. Falling for Hamlet was well written, and had a reasonably uplifting ending, considering that it is based in one of Shakespeare's tragedies.
I would describe this book as a hamburger. When I picked it up, it could have been really great, pretty awful, or anything in between. Like any burger, there was a lot of potential. Happily for me, it turned out to be very similar to a burger I had at the Q in Jackson Hole, WY. It was big and juicy, filled with crunchy lettuce, mildly spicy ketchup, and came with a large side of fries. It was filling, very good, and I couldn't put it down. However, it made my stomach ache for a while, because I was so full. Falling for Hamlet was the same way, I couldn't put it down, but at the end my insides were aching from the tragedies. I also felt a bit empty at the end, because there wasn't a character who I could hold on to, who was really fine at the end. The end lacked a catharsis.
I would rate this a 3.5 or maybe a 4. If you like a darker version of fluffy chick-lit, then this is for you, because it combines stupid teenage girls and their boyfriends with death and unbelievable heartbreak.
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