Written by: Margaret Devlin
Several times over the last year, Maggie O’Farrell’s writing was recommended to me quite emphatically by three of the most important people in my life. My grandmother, uncle, and best friend raved about her award-winning Hamnet, calling it a “must-read.” Unfortunately, in spite of them insisting time and time again that they would happily loan me the book (no really, just take it, you have to read it), I never did. I have stacks upon stacks of books I must read, and I never found the time for O’Farrell until last semester.
On a trip to London last October, walking around Camden Town, shivering in spite of my scarf, I shuffled into a small bookstore with a blue awning to warm up. I walked around for a few minutes, flipping through books, before picking a book with a beautiful pink cover with a green spine. I quickly read the first page, and I soon had the pleasure of reading Maggie O’Farrell’s After You’d Gone in its entirety.
Published in 2000, when O’Farrell was only twenty-eight, After You’d Gone was her first novel. She started writing her first draft in 1996, and in an interview with The Guardian, she said she wrote “haphazardly.” During a novel-writing course, she anxiously presented one of many drafts and received some cherished advice: “keep going, and don’t use too many adverbs.”
After You’d Gone enthralled me. The novel follows Alice Raikes, her mother, and grandmother through three intimately interwoven timelines. I felt connected to Alice and her mother, while simultaneously harboring some resentment for both. Each character has complex reasons behind why they make the decisions they do, and the plot unravels beautifully.
Throughout my time in college, in various writing seminars and creative writing workshops, professors have oft recommended looking for inspiration in other writing. Jokingly, they ask students, “what can you steal?” I wish I could peer into Maggie O’Farrell’s brain for a few minutes. Every single line is written with care. Her language is fully saturated.
I started rereading the novel the same day I first completed it. It’s that good. Since then, I have decided I must read Hamnet sooner rather than later. My loved ones echoed my feelings about After You’d Gone in their readings of Hamnet.
“At the sentence level,” my uncle began, “she’s a brilliant writer.” He went on to praise her delicate shifts between cool attitudes and glimpses of humanity. My grandmother praised O’Farrell’s storyline and the complexities of individual characters. I look forward to my next Maggie O’Farrell book, and hopefully many more to come.
Featured Image Caption: Camden Town!
