Isa Arsén, The Unbecoming of Margaret Wolf
(Putnam, January 2025)
Arsén’s sophomore effort is equal parts sultry and cultured, featuring two Shakespearian actors in a unusual but emotionally fulfilling marriage of convenience who find themselves in a sticky situation. They’ve been hired for a rather strange gig: an eccentric criminal has built a replica globe in the middle of the desert, and he’s ready to bring Shakespeare to life for his audience of one. At first, Margaret is merely there to tag along while her husband enjoys a leading role in Titus Andronicus; she’s recovering from a mental breakdown from the last time she starred in the Scottish Play. When she bonds with their benefactor, however, she finds herself reluctantly agreeing to give the lady one more try. When her marriage is threatened, she turns to her character to find the strength to do what needs to be done, in a perfectly-plotted denouement.
Ava Reid, Lady MacBeth
(Del Rey)
Ava Reid’s epic, furious take on the Lady MacBeth turns her subject into a gothic heroine trapped by her brutish husband in a cold Scottish castle, devoid of both other women and any sort of affection. Reid’s Lady must use all her cunning to stay alive in the cutthroat world of her husband’s court against a backdrop of a semi-fantastical depiction of 11th century Scotland that feels right out of Beowulf. She soon proves herself tougher than the mutton at the royal table, and ready to spill more guts than a chef preparing haggis…But beyond the food puns, this is an essential reworking of a much-maligned character that also feels right at home in our current climate of rising misogyny.
Val McDermid, Queen Macbeth
(Atlantic Monthly Press)
The Scottish Play is reimagined by Scotland’s Queen of Crime in this captivating new novel, which follows Lady Macbeth from her days on the run from a bloody medieval patriarchy, through to her ascendancy, a reign that turns out to be even more sinister, with murderous challengers at every turn. McDermid trains her formidable imagination on an iconic character. –Dwyer Murphy, CrimeReads Editor-in-Chief
Joel H. Morris, All Our Yesterdays
(Putnam)
In this rich historical reimagining of the lead-up to Macbeth, Morris asks, what if the Lady MacBeth had a son? And what if her new relationship with the thane MacBeth after the death of her violent first husband was predicated on equality and respect, as opposed to the beaten-down womanhood of others in 11th century Scotland? Thoughtful, eerie, and full of medieval magic, Morris’ take on the much-maligned lady will perhaps have you rooting for her and her partner, or at least, feeling some sympathy for her quest of vengeance.
