Title: All Our YesterdaysAuthor: Joel H. Morris
Pages: 368
Publication Date: March 12, 2024
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Genres: Fiction / Historical
Synopsis:
A propulsive and piercing debut, set ten years before the events of Shakespeare’s historic play, about the ambition, power, and fate that define one of literature’s most notorious Lady Macbeth.
Scotland, the 11th Century. Born in a noble household and granddaughter of a forgotten Scottish king, a young girl carries the guilt of her mother’s death and the weight of an unknowable prophecy. When she is married, at fifteen, to the Mormaer of Moray, she experiences firsthand the violence of a sadistic husband and a kingdom constantly at war. To survive with her young son in a superstitious realm, she must rely on her own cunning and wit, especially when her husband’s downfall inadvertently sets them free.
Suspicious of the dark devices that may have led to his father’s death, her son watches as his mother falls in love with the enigmatic thane Macbeth. Now a woman of stature, Lady Macbeth confronts a world of masculine power and secures the protection of her family. But the coronation of King Duncan and the political maneuvering of her cousin Macduff set her on a tragic course, one where her own success might mean embracing the very curse that haunts her and risking the child she loves.
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As a Shakespeare enthusiast, I was beyond excited to receive a copy of All Our Yesterdays: A Novel of Lady Macbeth. This is Lady Macbeth’s origin story, which is only touched upon in Shakespeare’s play. I’ve taught Macbeth at least two dozen times, and I’ve always been curious about Lady Macbeth’s past and how it contributed to her cunning manipulation in Macbeth. This is an engrossing look at her earlier life.
The book switches perspectives, with chapters alternating between The Woman (Lady Macbeth) and The Boy (her son), which is fascinating. You learn so much about Lady Macbeth before she even became Macbeth’s wife through her own eyes and through the eyes of her child. Her story is beautifully told, nuanced and layered and heartbreaking. The Boy’s story is also intriguing (and heartbreaking!) and reveals as much about Lady Macbeth as it does her son.
A lonely, motherless child mostly ignored by her father, Lady Macbeth ends up married to a reprehensible man and lives much of her married life in fear. Then, when her husband is killed, she marries the man who murdered her husband (Macbeth). Luckily, Macbeth is a loving husband and stepfather. I enjoyed seeing this side to both characters and how The Boy’s story reveals so much about his mother. It’s a mesmerizing look at a deeply flawed woman with a tragic and traumatic life that is dictated by the men who have power over her, but it’s also a story about a woman who is determined to take control of her own destiny.
Joel H. Morris has penned a powerful debut with gorgeous prose and a mesmerizing cast of characters. I found it so intriguing to see some of the major characters from Shakespeare’s classic as minor characters in this story and how their influence contributes to the madness, fear, and feelings of betrayal Lady Macbeth experiences. Themes about religion vs. the supernatural, ambition, and the role of women at the time are also poignant.
Special thanks to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for sending me a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
Joel H. Morris has a PhD in comparative literary studies from Northwestern University. Recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship, he has worked as a bookseller, sailor, and teacher, and lives near Denver, Colorado. All Our Yesterdays is his debut novel.
