This was a strange novel.
Not sure what to think of it, but the author kind of foresaw that and made sure that this novel was explained from different angles at the end. Warning: Spoilers ahead.
The story centers around Bradley. He's a divorced man, aspiring writer with one book published (are you still aspiring then?), friend and rival of Arnold, brother to a meekly sister and very self-absorbed.
It starts out rather slow with the author establishing the different relationships, showing the nervous tendency of Bradley's character. He's quick to pass judgment, slow to show compassion and mainly annoyingly stubborn when it comes to wanting things to go his way. When his sister shows up at his door, freshly divorced from her husband, his plans are abruptly terminated and it shows his mean streak. Throughout the novel he's condescending against her and in the end drops her in the lap of a guy he doesn't even like to take care of her. When she eventually takes her own life, he's not even heartbroken at first (I'll come to that in a bit) but selfishly takes action.
It's only when she needs to be buried that he wallops in self-pity and grief.
The flawed relationship he has with his friend Arnold is shown from the beginning to be heading for disaster as he's urgently called to Arnold's house on suspicion that Arnold might have hurt his wife badly.
When she turns out okay, bruised and battered but not dead or badly injured, events take a turn in the way that Rachel (Arnold's wife) is taking a fancy to Bradley. Bradley unable to say no and seeking revenge for the success his writer friend is having starts a meagre affair with her ending in sleeping clumsily together.
Rachel tells Arnold, Arnold is condescending about the whole thing, blaming Bradley for wanting to have what he has. Meanwhile Arnold is planning to leave his wife for Bradley's ex, Christian.
That the third act, when Bradley believes he's madly in love with Julian, Arnold's daughter. He fails to keep it a secret and the young girl follows him to the countryside infatuated with the attention of an older guy. When they consummate their love, Bradley with the dead of his sister on his mind, Julian's fantasies change quickly. This escalates quickly when not much later her father tracks her down and lays down all that Bradley neglected to tell her truthfully.
Every event lead up to Bradley's mental demise and ultimately set up the novel for the final act, where he's being conned into having murdered his friend Arnold.
The novel is being told from his perspective, told from jail, so it might all be from an unreliable perspective and none of it to be believed.
The thread throughout the novel, to which the title also alludes, is the Shakespearian play Hamlet.
So, a lengthy review for a novel that was rather queer in a way. I enjoyed reading it.
