King of Infinite Space

 TITLE: The King of Infinite Space

AUTHOR: Lyndsay Faye

This is a modern, queer, well-crafted take on Shakespeare's Hamlet, with some magic realism tossed into the mix. As it's been 55 years or so sine I read Hamlet, I'm sure I missed many nods to the original. I decided against reading a summary of the play before starting the book, though I did so after I finished. People with more recent experience with Hamlet, or a better memory of it, might enjoy this more than I did, though I did enjoy it.

There are three alternating POV characters: Lia Brahams, Horatio Patel, and Ben Dane (Hamlet. It took me a while to warm up to Ben and Horatio, but Lia was interesting enough to keep me reading. The plot is familiar. Ben's father, a rich theater owner, has died under suspicious circumstances. Though his death is ruled a suicide, Ben refuses to believe his father killed himself. Learning his mother just married her late husband's brother, sends the emotionally fragile Ben into a tailspin. With the return of his closest friend Horatio, he insists on investigating his mother and uncle/stepfather. Meanwhile, Ben's ex, Lia, is learning about the power of flowers at a florist shop where the owners -- three sisters -- have some mysteries of their own.

Faye is an excellent writer and once I got into the book -- after hitting pause for a couple of weeks -- it was a fast, spell-binding read. I'm glad I stuck with it.