A review by marcymurli
Shylock Is My Name by Howard Jacobson

3.0

I think if I didn't know Shakespeare's play "The Merchant of Venice" and didn't enjoy the clever and witty reworkings of it, this book wouldn't even be interesting. But given that this is part of a new series where novelists rewrite Shakespeare's plays in a new context, this is a fun read if you know the play. There is a kind of mirroring with Shylock and modern-day version of himself. There are figures who correlate to the other characters in the play, too; although there are only a few of the most essential characters: Antonio, Gratiano, Bassanio, Portia, and Jessica. In this version Jessica (here as Beatrice) runs off with Gratiano (a footballer named Gratan) and her irate father (here as Strulovitch) seeks vengeance via the flesh. But the flesh he seeks is not near the heart; it is a piece of flesh that would ultimately help Gratan become a Jew. I won't say more as anything else would be a spoiler.