Maggie O'Farrell's Best Books: A Comprehensive Ranking
As Maggie O'Farrell's Women's Prize-winning novel Hamnet makes its way to the Oscars, we take a deep dive into the author's most compelling works. From haunting ghost stories to life-affirming memoirs, O'Farrell's fiction masterfully explores themes of love, loss, and identity. Here, we rank her best books, offering insights into her evolving literary prowess.
10. My Lover's Lover (2002)
In O'Farrell's second novel, protagonist Lily finds herself in a precarious situation after moving in with dashing architect Marcus. Mistakenly believing his previous lover Sinead is dead, Lily soon discovers the truth: Sinead has been discarded. The novel delves into the collapse of Marcus and Sinead's relationship, blending gothic undertones with a stark portrayal of red flags in romance. O'Farrell's narrative skillfully engages readers with its exploration of trust and deception.
9. The Distance Between Us (2004)
Heritage and belonging are central themes in this novel, which opens with chaotic scenes in Hong Kong during Chinese New Year celebrations. Simultaneously, a woman in London spots a familiar face and decides to flee the country. O'Farrell contrasts the immediate isolation of her characters with their richly detailed backgrounds, creating a gripping tale that gradually reveals its connections. The journey, both literal and figurative, drives the narrative forward.
8. The Hand That First Held Mine (2010)
O'Farrell returns to the territory of new motherhood in this dual-timeline novel. In contemporary London, artist Elina navigates the aftermath of her first child's birth, while in the 1950s, Lexie arrives from small-town England and becomes entangled in a transgressive love affair. The novel explores how motherhood reconfigures identity, linking past and present generations through trauma and resilience. Its poignant portrayal of life before and after birth captivates readers.
7. After You'd Gone (2000)
O'Farrell's debut novel, which won a Betty Trask award, showcases her ambition from the start. Central character Alice lies in a coma following a cataclysmic event, with the narrative weaving back to her childhood and her mother's obscured life. Additional plotlines involve a love story threatened by religious and cultural clashes, highlighting O'Farrell's interest in taboos and their lasting effects. The novel's complex structure and emotional depth mark it as a promising beginning.
6. Instructions for a Heatwave (2013)
Set against the backdrop of Britain's 1976 heatwave, this novel combines period detail with a missing person mystery. Robert Riordan, a newly retired Irish Londoner, disappears after going out for a newspaper. His three adult children return home to support their mother, Gretta, leading to tense family dynamics. O'Farrell masterfully depicts the drama of a crisis, making this a compulsively readable exploration of secrets and reconciliation.
5. The Marriage Portrait (2022)
In her most recent novel, O'Farrell reimagines the fate of Lucrezia de' Medici, a child bride in Renaissance Italy whose death inspired Robert Browning's My Last Duchess. The story delves into the opulent yet dangerous courts of Ferrara, questioning the agency of women in dynastic marriages. O'Farrell's purpose is to highlight the historical shuffling of girls between families, inviting readers to ponder what might have been if they had ever gained a whisper of control.
4. This Must Be the Place (2016)
This kaleidoscopic novel tells the story of Claudette Wells, a film star who retreats to Donegal after ending her career. Through multiple narrators and shifting time periods, O'Farrell creates a constantly reforming picture, with Claudette's linguist husband Daniel piecing together the fragments. The novel's playful structure and exploration of marriage endurance make it a standout in O'Farrell's oeuvre, blending mystery with emotional depth.
3. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (2006)
Years before Hamnet, O'Farrell ventured into historical fiction with this split-time-frame novel. In the present day, Iris investigates the disappearance of her great-aunt Esme, who was committed to a psychiatric unit in Edinburgh 60 years earlier for dubious reasons. With her grandmother Kitty suffering from Alzheimer's, Iris uncovers disturbing family secrets. The novel's gripping narrative and critique of societal norms have made it one of O'Farrell's most admired works.
2. I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes With Death (2017)
In this gripping memoir, O'Farrell recounts seventeen near-death experiences, from childhood encephalitis to a terrifying encounter with a stage knife-thrower. Each brush with mortality sharpens her understanding of life's precarity, recounted with astonishment at her survival. The final essay, detailing her daughter's battle with a life-threatening immunological condition, is particularly moving, transforming the world into a landscape of potential threats and resilience.
1. Hamnet (2020)
O'Farrell's eighth novel, Hamnet, is a monumental success, winning the Women's Prize for fiction and expanding her readership. It fictionalizes the death of William Shakespeare's son in 1596, but de-centers the playwright to focus on his wife, Agnes. Set in Stratford-upon-Avon, the novel portrays Agnes as a skilled herbalist grappling with profound grief. O'Farrell's imaginative reclamation of historical figures and exploration of loss make this her crowning achievement, now heading to the Oscars.
Maggie O'Farrell's body of work continues to resonate with readers worldwide, offering profound insights into the human experience through masterful storytelling.
