Enter the Body

January 1, 2023
Beneath a theater stage, a group of girls gather. Girls from some of Shakespeare's most famous plays appear here as ghosts, sharing the traumas they have endured as the Bard's works are retold from the perspectives of these lost women. The focus is primarily on Juliet, Ophelia, and Cordelia; they are joined by Lavinia, the daughter of Titus Andronicus, as well as other women. One by one, they allow readers and each other into their worlds of pain resulting from living within the patriarchy. What happens when they are given a chance to retell their stories? McCullough is undeniably skilled with verse, and she utilizes a fascinating structure for the book, with poetry that is intercut with descriptions of the setting written in the style of theatrical directions. These evoke the feeling of being in the audience. These interludes are then intercut with dialogue among the protagonists, discussing the narrative elements of their own tales. But the metatext is at times more compelling than the emotional truths. There is no denying that the important messages here are shared without compromise, especially when touching on sexual and familial violence, but the story struggles at times with making each character's voice distinct. Nevertheless, their potent anger at the cruel injustices they have suffered at the hands of men is important and comes across clearly even as character development is occasionally sacrificed. A theatrical experiment with meaning. (content warning, dramatis personae, author's note, timeline) (Fiction. 14-18)

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January 16, 2023
Focusing primarily on Cordelia, Juliet, and Ophelia, McCullough (Great or Nothing) excavates the inner lives of William Shakespeare’s most famous tragic heroines in this absorbing experimental novel in verse. Beneath the trap door of a theater, the characters—portrayed as ghosts—share their secrets and traumas with one another while waiting to be resurrected to embody their assigned roles and die on stage each night. The author addresses the absent mothers and lack of education the women faced throughout their lives, as well as their roles as scapegoats for the poor behavior of their stories’ male leads, through assorted methods. Wrenching poetic monologues (“Mother found/ less love than I/ in the House of Capulet”), script pages of illuminating dialogue (“I have a question?” Juliet asks Cordelia, who responds, “Oh. We’re talking now?”), and prose that briefly foregrounds a larger contemporary world beyond the trap door (“the audience stretches, unwraps candy, checks their phones”) provide searing, if occasionally pedantic, commentary on the women’s portrayal as docile figures. Via varied signature poetic styles and cadences, such as Cordelia’s traditional iambic pentameter and Juliet’s short staccato bursts, the women question their desires and sexual identities, and together process their individual traumas. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

Starred review from April 1, 2023

Gr 7 Up-Beneath a stage trapdoor, Juliet, Ophelia, and Cordelia gather with the silent and mysterious Lavinia nearby; many others linger in the shadows around the room. As Shakespeare's most famous and beloved dead girls begin to recount their lives, the probing questions they ask of each other encourage them to delve into their own motivations, beliefs, choices, and lack thereof. They begin imagining what would and wouldn't have changed if they'd been given agency over certain decisions and the ability to speak their minds, to be more than just props for their fathers' aspirations. This exploration of their own limitations in the original stories parallels the relationships between fathers and daughters, Shakespeare and his creations, and the ways young women are often used to serve many purposes except their own. Constant shifts among modern, distinctive first-person voices of the girls told in changing poetic formats swirl with the more distant prose sections; previous familiarity with the basic stories of Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and King Lear will give readers access to some of the deeper references but even those completely new to Shakespeare will have no trouble following the outline of the stories. All readers will emerge with a more thorough understanding of these girls' stories along with a deep sense of grief for the independence their fathers (and ultimately Shakespeare) denied them. The classroom connections here are endless. VERDICT This work elevates and reenergizes the canon; it's an absolute must-read regardless of readers' knowledge or opinion of Shakespeare.-Allie Stevens

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2023
In this inventive novel that includes elements of verse and script (including some prose in the form of stage directions), McCullough (We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire, rev. 7/21) reimagines the fates of several of Shakespeare's famous female teen protagonists. In Part One, readers are introduced to Juliet, Ophelia, Cordelia, and Lavinia, who dwell as spectral embodiments in a purgatorial "trap room, " the space "beneath all the stages, anywhere." Lavinia, whose tongue is cut out by attackers in one of Shakespeare's first plays, serves as a silent symbol of women who have lost the ability to control their own narratives. Each of the other girls recounts her original plot in verse, up to a pivotal point in the story, in a signature narrative style. Juliet's verse is free and ­passionate, Ophelia's dreamy and verdant, Cordelia's precise and pragmatic. In Part Two, the girls engage in lively dialogue in play form, anachronistically debating one another's motives, feelings, assumptions, and faults, finally coming to the ­question: "What if we dared to tell our versions?" In Part Three, each imagines what would have happened had one crucial aspect of her story been changed, with, for example, spirited Juliet claiming a full happy ending by remaining alive and marrying Romeo. This shifting, experimental format will surprise and challenge readers' ideas of ­storytelling and "classic" literature. By innovatively mining feminist themes of autonomy, exploitation, and patriarchy, McCullough boldly ­reconceptualizes ­Shakespeare's version of the female point of view for a new generation of Bard enthusiasts. Jennifer Hubert Swan

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from March 1, 2023
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* From the perspectives of three young women of Shakespeare comes Enter the Body, in which McCullough (Blood Water Paint, 2018) gives Ophelia, Juliet, and Cordelia voices and agency beneath the stage of yet another deadly Titus Andronicus production. At times reminiscent of Frieda Hughes' "My Mother," about Sylvia Plath, Body turns Shakespeare on his head while honoring his talent as the girls retells their stories on their own terms. Each speaking character cleverly receives a distinct verse style befitting their original characterizations: Cordelia's adherence to iambic pentameter, Ophelia's sparing use of words, and Juliet's loquacious and energetic lines drive the undercurrent of character description just as much as their actions and choices do. While readers familiar with the original works will get the most out of this striking combination of formats in the shape of a novel, Shakespeare novices will appreciate the masterful command of prose, script, and verse alongside the classic stories from unexpected perspectives. A great choice for better understanding of the source materials in the classroom or for pure enjoyment that gives the brain a light workout, Enter the Body will appeal especially to fans of Lisa Klein's Ophelia (2006), Michelle Ray's Falling for Hamlet (2011), and Margarita Engle's The Lightning Dreamer (2013). This truly outstanding offering will leave readers pining for a continuation with Shakespeare's adult women taking up the pen.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2023
In this inventive novel that includes elements of verse and script (including some prose in the form of stage directions), McCullough (We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire, rev. 7/21) reimagines the fates of several of Shakespeare's famous female teen protagonists. In Part One, readers are introduced to Juliet, Ophelia, Cordelia, and Lavinia, who dwell as spectral embodiments in a purgatorial "trap room," the space "beneath all the stages, anywhere." Lavinia, whose tongue is cut out by attackers in one of Shakespeare's first plays, serves as a silent symbol of women who have lost the ability to control their own narratives. Each of the other girls recounts her original plot in verse, up to a pivotal point in the story, in a signature narrative style. Juliet's verse is free and passionate, Ophelia's dreamy and verdant, Cordelia's precise and pragmatic. In Part Two, the girls engage in lively dialogue in play form, anachronistically debating one another's motives, feelings, assumptions, and faults, finally coming to the question: "What if we dared to tell our versions?" In Part Three, each imagines what would have happened had one crucial aspect of her story been changed, with, for example, spirited Juliet claiming a full happy ending by remaining alive and marrying Romeo. This shifting, experimental format will surprise and challenge readers' ideas of storytelling and "classic" literature. By innovatively mining feminist themes of autonomy, exploitation, and patriarchy, McCullough boldly reconceptualizes Shakespeare's version of the female point of view for a new generation of Bard enthusiasts.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)