Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel

Published by Fourth Estate: London, 2010 (2009).
Book One of the Wolf Hall Trilogy: 'Wolf Hall'; 'Bring Up The Bodies'; 'The Mirror and the Light'.

Set during the reign of King Henry VIII, Wolf Hall follows the rise to power of Thomas Cromwell, who goes from son of a blacksmith to adviser to a cardinal, to advisor to Henry himself. The first chapter of the book is set during Cromwell's childhood, but immediately after this the book jumps to Cromwell as an adult, already adroit at political maneuvering. The 'prologue' therefore can seem a bit out of place, but it does serve as a constant reminder of where Cromwell has come from, and provides hints towards his motivations.

Because Cromwell himself is fairly closed on this front. The book is written in a very close third-person narrative, with almost any mention of "he" referring to Cromwell. We get his thoughts, his conversations and actions, but at the same time very little about his motivations is revealed. This is very obviously deliberate, as Cromwell is an enigma not only to us but to those around him. At times the mask drops slightly when a particular act of, say, revenge takes place, but Cromwell is far too clever an individual to let anyone in on his thoughts, including the reader.

The title of the book, Wolf Hall, isn't mentioned at all until over 200 pages have passed, and at that point its significance is only hinted at. Students of history will begin picking up on the names of particular individuals and realising what their outcome will be, but the characters themselves of course have no idea of where they are heading, and the book does a great job of finishing in a very interesting location, inviting you to read on to find out what happens next.

The time period of the setting also adds some interest from a Christian point of view. Although the book is not a Christian book by any means, Cromwell is very tied into the life of Christendom, and is working towards a reformation of the church. There are martyrs on both of the Reformation divide, but some of the characters are shown in a very challenging (not always flattering) light.

Like most of the Booker books, there is a little bit of language and suggestive material, but nowhere near the level of others I have read (thankfully). The book is also written very well, with puns and wordplay, and (as mentioned above) a way of hinting at events to come, or feelings of characters, without outright stating them.

A great book to dip back into Bookerworm with, and a gripping, well-written book in general.

Completed 10 November 2020.

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