John Boyne: Carr builds a gripping and claustrophobic read of an incarceration
Of the many British regal houses, the Tudors and Windsors appear to be the most ruthless in their dealings with each other, which perhaps explains why they dominate literature, film and television in the way they do. From rogue claimants to 16th-century thrones through to the heart-rending travails of the Montecito Two, readers and viewers lap up their stories. I won’t lie; I’m one of them.
Terror hangs over every page. Although Mary surrenders her throne early on, her captors understand that a week is a long time in politics and a crown quickly stolen can be swiftly reclaimed. And so, like a failed candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, they remain careful to offer small kindnesses like a small prie-dieu in case a monarch’s restoration leads to brutal vengeance upon those who previously brought them low.
Mary’s life is depicted as utterly miserable. Married, remarried, and remarried again to men who either raped or abandoned her, she pines for her infant son. A miscarriage of twins is recounted in language so raw that the reader wonders how any woman could survive such trauma. Meanwhile, the occasional scribbled note from Elizabeth, who both fears and honours her cousin as an anointed queen, provides insight into wider mischief.
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