Summary
Horatio Wilkes is out for summer vacation, and during his time off, he has decided to visit his wealthy classmate, Hamilton Prince, in Hamilton's small hometown. It doesn't require his heightened observational skills for Horatio to realize that something is wrong in Denmark, Tennessee. Upon his arrival, one of the first things Horatio notices is a strong smell from the river. It doesn't take long for him to realize that other things are awry, as well. Hamilton, who is depressed by the unexpected death of his father and the quick remarriage of his mother (to his uncle, no less), entreaties Horatio to help him uncover who has killed his father. Horatio, a town outsider, must try to get to the bottom of things, but in doing so, risks his own life, as well.
Impressions and Opinions of the Books
The retelling of Shakespeare's Hamlet in this novel is unmistakable. Despite the somewhat different names of characters and updated locations, anyone familiar with the play will instantly be able to identify what character is being adapted to the modern day tale. Gratz does a good job of sprinkling in references here and there from the original play, but some of the puns do illicit eye rolls at the forced execution. Nevertheless, the story seems to be a mashup of Shakespeare and 1920's private eye movie set in modern day USA, so the cheese is to be expected.
What is not expected are some of Gratz's adjustments to huge plot points. I found myself questioning my memory of the original story line due to the outcome of some of the main characters within the story. Choices that Gratz makes influence the overall mood of the story, something essential to the play. In fact, the darkness that looms over and follows Hamlet and everyone he is associated with in the play is almost an unnamed character. With a story that so closely mimics the original, this alteration is jarring. Granted, Something Rotten is Gratz's updated take on the classic, and he is at liberty to make adjustments as he sees fit. Still, having main characters die (or not) to produce a happy ending has me questioning Gratz's understanding of the original work and wondering if Shakespeare might not be rolling in his grave over this re-imagining.
Full-Text Review
Gratz is cornering the niche market of novels containing dissimilar topics. Here he combines Hamlet and hardboiled detective pulp. During a vacation from their academy, Horatio Wilkes accompanies his buddy Hamilton Prince to Denmark, Tenn. Just two months after his father passed away under suspicious circumstances, Hamilton's Uncle Claude has married Hamilton's mother. Claude now controls the Elsinore Paper Plant, a multibillion dollar company blatantly polluting the Copenhagen River. Horatio, with a knack for investigating, is determined to expose Claude's corruption while Hamilton, dismayed by what he believes is his mother's betrayal, drowns himself in alcohol. Ultimately, Horatio relies on environmentalist protester Olivia to reveal secrets about Elsinore. The many parallels to Hamlet are interesting, but Gratz wisely avoids producing a carbon copy of the tragedy. Horatio admirably plays the loyal friend but has a cocky voice that is too self-assured and as a teen rings unauthentic. However, this well-crafted mystery has appeal for readers familiar with both Raymond Chandler's novels and Shakespeare's masterpiece. (Fiction. YA)
Kirkus (2007). [Review of the book Something rotten: A Horatio Wilkes mystery by A. Gratz]. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/alan-gratz/something-rotten/
Library Uses
This would be a great book to have as part of a display in a high school library of media that are inspired by works from Shakespeare, whether it be books, movies, or even music and bands. A couple of sites that share other media to add to the display are
Another option would be to have an "If you liked this Shakespeare play, you might like this book" kind of display. This link shares some possibilities for such a display.
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