Book Review - My Name is Will by Jess Winfield

Synopsis:  Struggling UC Santa Cruz grad student Willie Shakespeare Greenberg is trying to write his thesis about the Bard. Kind of. Having been cut off by his father for laziness, and desperate for cash, Willie agrees to deliver a single, giant, psychedelic mushroom to a mysterious collector, only to find himself a target in Ronald Reagan's War on Drugs.

Meanwhile, would-be playwright (and oppressed Catholic) William Shakespeare is eighteen and stuck teaching Latin in the boondocks of Stratford-upon-Avon.The future Bard is asked to deliver a contraband box of sacramental wafers blessed by the Pope at a time when Catholics are being hanged, drawn and quartered as traitors.When 1980s Willie, cornered by DEA agents and one too many girlfriends, eats the giant mushroom at a Renaissance Fair, and 1580s William takes his first communion at his own shotgun wedding, their minds and stories merge--allowing each to become the fully-realized Shakespeare he is destined to be.

First Line:  "Willie sat in the back of a blocky white minibus, his hand cupped around the enormous psychedelic mushroom hidden under a denim jacket laid too casually across his lap."

Random Quote:  "Robin met a group of her friends under the shaded arcade of the student union building across the plaza, and after some coffee and genial Reagan-bashing, Robin shipped out her staple gun, and they got down to the work of nailing signs to signposts."

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare:  Abridged - Image by mommy peace via Flickr

Review:  I'm very fond of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: Abridged which Jess Winfield was a co-author on as a founding member of the Reduced Shakespeare Company. I love Shakespeare and am always happy to see him performed and to see people play with him and his words and ideas (as opposed to treating him like an old dead irrelevant white guy). This is Winfield's first novel so I figured I'd give it a shot. Unfortunately it just didn't work for me. It tried too hard, ultimately, and that made me impatient so I abandoned it. I read today that they're performing The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: Abridged at the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival - go see it if you can!

FTC Disclosure:  Advance copy from the publisher for review

Rating:  Grey

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