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ninetalevixen 's review for:
Foul is Fair
by Hannah Capin
I received an advance review copy from Wednesday Books through Netgalley; all opinions are my own and honest.
In the spirit of transparency, I want to start with a disclaimer that I have seen Macbeth performed — one time, when I was in middle school — and have a SparkNotes-level familiarity with the plot/characters/etc., but I have not read it on my own nor would I recognize most quotes from it. (Except "Out, damned spot" and "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" ... that's this one, right? But I digress.)
But based on what I do remember, Capin preserves the spirit of The Scottish Play while adapting it through the lens of modern adolescence. The blame and motives and freewill are shifted from the original, which only makes things all the more interesting. Certain recognizable motifs and themes, such as, come through particularly clearly, a little heavy-handed for my taste but they are memorable and thus effective in their way.
The storyline is fairly engaging, even if it contains few surprises; however, the pacing felt a bit uneven. While may have been intentional since so much happens over a relatively short period of time, it was a little disorienting. I also wasn't totally convinced by the relationships — the individual characters are nuanced and believable, but their group dynamics and one-on-one interactions felt a bit more performative or tropey than organic.
All that said, as retellings go this is a fairly solid one. Capin strikes a good balance between homage and originality with captivating storytelling and a vivid cast.
content warnings:
rep:
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CONVERSION: 10.6 / 15 = 4 stars
Prose: 8 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 7 / 10
Emotional Impact: 8 / 10
Development / Flow: 6 / 10
Setting: 4 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 4 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: N/A
In the spirit of transparency, I want to start with a disclaimer that I have seen Macbeth performed — one time, when I was in middle school — and have a SparkNotes-level familiarity with the plot/characters/etc., but I have not read it on my own nor would I recognize most quotes from it. (Except "Out, damned spot" and "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" ... that's this one, right? But I digress.)
But based on what I do remember, Capin preserves the spirit of The Scottish Play while adapting it through the lens of modern adolescence. The blame and motives and freewill are shifted from the original, which only makes things all the more interesting. Certain recognizable motifs and themes, such as
Spoiler
blood/red, power, guiltThe storyline is fairly engaging, even if it contains few surprises; however, the pacing felt a bit uneven. While may have been intentional since so much happens over a relatively short period of time, it was a little disorienting. I also wasn't totally convinced by the relationships — the individual characters are nuanced and believable, but their group dynamics and one-on-one interactions felt a bit more performative or tropey than organic.
All that said, as retellings go this is a fairly solid one. Capin strikes a good balance between homage and originality with captivating storytelling and a vivid cast.
content warnings:
Spoiler
flashbacks to rape, roofie, underage drinking & smoking & drug use, blood, infidelity, non-graphic self-harm (cutting wrists), slut-shaming, misogynistic languagerep:
Spoiler
Desi-American main character, Korean-American major character, trans major character, WLW major character-----------
CONVERSION: 10.6 / 15 = 4 stars
Prose: 8 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 7 / 10
Emotional Impact: 8 / 10
Development / Flow: 6 / 10
Setting: 4 / 10
Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: 4 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: N/A