Hamnet

by Maggie O'Farrell

Anyone, Eliza is thinking, who describes dying as “slipping away” or “peaceful” has never witnessed it happen. Death is violent, death is a struggle. The body clings to life, as ivy to a wall, and will not easily let go, will not surrender its grip without a fight.

I am dead: Thou livest; …draw thy breath in pain, To tell my story —Hamlet, Act V, scene ii