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A review by anisha_inkspill
New Boy by Tracy Chevalier
3.5
(3.5 stars)
Othello, a tragedy, becomes more than a tragedy when it’s reset in an all-white school in Washington in the 1970’s.
New Boy by Tracy Chevalier is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare series, this one closely follows the plot of Othello.
As the audiobook unfolded, and I recognised how the scenes unfolding were following the play, it became very uncomfortable.
The most unsettling part is how Osei, the Othello here, is manipulated and misled by Ian. I wanted Osei to see, be as street savvy as his new girlfriend Dee, to not trust Ian.
Ian is the school bully who enjoys frightening others and throwing his weight around. With Osei, the new kid on the block, Ian finds his hold on others is weakening. He doesn’t like this and will do whatever it takes to get that back.
The results are catastrophic as Osei acts out of character and hurts Dee, but it doesn’t end there. The last scene, I saw it coming but it still made me stop, more so when I have watched and read Othello.
This is not my favourite of the Hogarth Shakespeare series but it’s left an impression as the story shows the damage that scars cause from the sharp edges of prejudice.
Othello, a tragedy, becomes more than a tragedy when it’s reset in an all-white school in Washington in the 1970’s.
New Boy by Tracy Chevalier is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare series, this one closely follows the plot of Othello.
As the audiobook unfolded, and I recognised how the scenes unfolding were following the play, it became very uncomfortable.
The most unsettling part is how Osei, the Othello here, is manipulated and misled by Ian. I wanted Osei to see, be as street savvy as his new girlfriend Dee, to not trust Ian.
Ian is the school bully who enjoys frightening others and throwing his weight around. With Osei, the new kid on the block, Ian finds his hold on others is weakening. He doesn’t like this and will do whatever it takes to get that back.
The results are catastrophic as Osei acts out of character and hurts Dee, but it doesn’t end there. The last scene, I saw it coming but it still made me stop, more so when I have watched and read Othello.
This is not my favourite of the Hogarth Shakespeare series but it’s left an impression as the story shows the damage that scars cause from the sharp edges of prejudice.