All’s Well

All’s Well by Mona Awad (2021) I had the possibly ridiculous notion that I’d write a “campus novel” (seeing how I’ve never been a professor), so some research was in order—came upon this one, and since I liked Bunny, by Mona Awad, I got right into it. An enticing setup about a collegiate theater director, Miranda, who is in charge of the annual Shakespeare production—currently, All’s Well That Ends Well—but she’s faced with mutiny—most of the students want “The Scottish Play.” It’s a version of student/teacher conflict taken to an extreme. Also, the depiction of the ailing Miranda—due to a theater accident, and ongoing physical issues—is very good—the critique of the medical community, particularly in regard to women. It occurred to me that I might need to know Shakespeare more thoroughly, particularly this play, to get this book, and that may be the case—in any event, as the story went along, I felt myself increasingly mired in things I wasn’t understanding. Still, a lot of fun. The author definitely didn’t hold back with the escalating insanity, complications, sense of disorientation, the supernatural, and disturbing conclusions. I didn’t like the book as much a Bunny, but it was good research for me—enough to scare me away from both the contemporary academic and theater community—except, of course, in a fictional realm.

2.6.25