Ranking Maggie O'Farrell's Best Books: From Hamnet to Heartache
As Maggie O'Farrell's Women's prize-winning novel Hamnet makes its way to the Oscars, we delve into the author's celebrated body of work. From tales of new motherhood to life-affirming memoirs, O'Farrell's novels captivate readers with their emotional depth and intricate storytelling. Here, we rank her best books, highlighting the themes and narratives that have solidified her place in contemporary literature.
10. My Lover's Lover (2002)
In O'Farrell's second novel, protagonist Lily faces the ghost of a previous lover, Sinead, after moving in with dashing architect Marcus. Mistakenly believing Sinead is dead, Lily navigates a relationship fraught with red flags as the novel explores the collapse of Marcus's past romance. With hints of gothic ghost story, this book delves into themes of trust and deception in love.
9. The Distance Between Us (2004)
Heritage and belonging drive this novel, which begins with chaotic celebrations in Hong Kong during Chinese New Year. Meanwhile, in London, a woman spots a familiar face and flees the country. The contrast between isolated characters and their complex backgrounds draws readers into a narrative propelled by gradual revelations and journeys both literal and figurative.
8. The Hand That First Held Mine (2010)
O'Farrell returns to the territory of new motherhood, setting up two mirroring storylines. In contemporary London, artist Elina navigates life after her first child's birth, while in the 1950s, Lexie arrives from small-town England and is swept into a transgressive love affair. The novel focuses on identity reconfiguration before and after giving birth, linking generations through trauma.
7. After You'd Gone (2000)
O'Farrell's debut novel, winner of a Betty Trask award, follows Alice, who lies in a coma after a cataclysmic event. The narrative weaves back to her childhood and her mother's obscured life, exploring a love story imperilled by religious and cultural collisions. This ambitious work showcases O'Farrell's early interest in taboos and their lasting effects.
6. Instructions for a Heatwave (2013)
Set against Britain's 1976 heatwave, this novel centers on a missing person mystery. Newly retired Irish Londoner Robert Riordan disappears after going out for a newspaper, prompting his three adult children to return home. The family dynamics unfold tensely, providing drama as they grapple with the crisis and their relationships.
5. The Marriage Portrait (2022)
Based on Renaissance history and Robert Browning's poem My Last Duchess, this novel reimagines the fate of Lucrezia de' Medici, a child bride possibly poisoned by her husband. O'Farrell explores the lack of agency for women in dynastic marriages, inviting readers to consider what might have been if they had a whisper of control.
4. This Must Be the Place (2016)
This kaleidoscopic story follows mercurial film star Claudette Wells, who retreats to Donegal after ending her career. Told through multiple narrators across different settings and time periods, the novel centers on her linguist husband Daniel as he pieces together their marriage's fate, creating a constantly shifting narrative picture.
3. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (2006)
In this split time-frame novel, Iris investigates the disappearance of her great-aunt Esme, who vanished from Edinburgh records as a young woman. With her grandmother Kitty suffering from Alzheimer's, Iris uncovers that Esme was committed to a psychiatric unit 60 years prior for dubious reasons, revealing disturbing family secrets.
2. I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes With Death (2017)
This gripping memoir details O'Farrell's near-death experiences, from childhood encephalitis to a stage knife-thrower incident. Each encounter sharpens her understanding of mortality's precarity, culminating in a moving essay about her daughter's life-threatening immunological condition, transforming the world into a landscape of potential threats.
1. Hamnet (2020)
O'Farrell's eighth novel, a huge success before its film adaptation, won the Women's prize for fiction. It fictionalizes the death of William Shakespeare's son Hamnet in 1596, focusing on his wife Agnes in Stratford-upon-Avon. Reclaiming Agnes as a skilled herbalist, the novel explores grief and sidelined historical figures, cementing O'Farrell's literary acclaim.
