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Hidden Shakespeare work prompts adventure in fiction

By Daniel Monan, Gavel Media Team, on December 7, 2009 9:23 PM

By Daniel Monan, Culture Editor -

It’s almost over. Christmas break is nearly here. Just finals, and then we’ll all have a whole month to explain to our parents just how that D+ in calculus was really the teacher’s fault. It’s time to start thinking about books to read over the break — to throw out that old, dusty, book of Shakespeare and pick up a bright, shiny, new one written in modern English … mostly.

The Book of Air and Shadows, by Michael Gruber, is a worthy addition to the rising subgenre of thrillers defined by an unprepared academic forced to solve some ancient mystery. Think The Da Vinci Code minus the Bible tie-ins.

In this case, a 17th century letter has been discovered, hinting at a hidden manuscript to a never before seen Shakespearean play. From there, the plot of the novel unfolds much as one would expect: people start dying; someone wants the new play at any cost. There’s the standard mix of romance and betrayal, murder and mayhem. Just because we’ve seen it before doesn’t mean that it’s not brilliantly executed.

The story moves rapidly, shifting perspectives from the past and present. As the novel progresses, tensions mount and the timelines slowly begin to merge. The sections set in the past (the 17th century letter) are written in a pseudo-antiquated English that is a little hard to follow at first, though persistence pays off. The story related in the letters is in many ways an entirely separate plot, and could have easily been turned into a book in its own right. It follows a protestant Englishman assigned to spy on Shakespeare, who was suspected of secretly being a Roman Catholic — a crime in England at the time. Excellently researched and not without their fair share of adventure, these passages give the rest of the story a depth and epic scope.

Michael Gruber makes great use of fact that virtually nothing concrete is known about Shakespeare himself, allowing for a degree of freedom in his portrayal. That said, the depth of research employed in reconstructing Elizabethan England is immediately apparent. The setting is expansive, grittily realistic, and perfectly described.

The bulk of the novel is framed through the reflections of Jake Mishkin, an intellectual property lawyer hiding from Russian mobsters. To pass the time, Mishkin types his story, explaining the events that lead him to the situation he finds himself in. At any moment, he expects killers in search of the lost play to arrive and finish him off, a dark piece of foreshadowing introduced at the beginning of the story which keeps the pages turning.

Jake is a fascinating, if not entirely believable character ─ a common trait throughout the novel ─ as an unapologetic womanizer, high-class lawyer, and former Olympic weightlifter, with a chauffeur/bodyguard who happens to be ex-Israeli Special Forces. It is a testament to Gruber’s skill as a writer that none of this destroys the story’s credibility upon initial reading. Through all of his absurdities, Mishkin remains an absorbing and likable character.

The female characters of the novel suffer from a flaw common in this genre. While they are well-defined and strong, independent characters in their own rights they essentially exist as Bond girls, sex symbols to be lusted after and pursued. Much of this is no doubt due to Mishkin’s womanizing perspective and overall does minimal damage to the narrative ─ it seems to be expected from this sort of story.

Like any good thriller, the plot is full of twists and turns that should not be spoiled. Think of The Book of Air and Shadows as a smarter-than-average beach read. Engaging and never dull, it’s a step above most of the pulp action novels currently circulating.