Shakespeare's Pipe

In "Shakespeare's Pipe," forensic scientist Kingsley Armstrong gets the chance to fill in the gaps in our knowledge of England's greatest bard-at least so it seems in his imagination. Workers repairing the Shakespeare Birthplace discover a smoker's pipe hidden in the wall behind the main chimney. Who positioned it there and when, and more importantly, whose lips were placed on its stem? Who was smoking that pipe? Armstrong's lab receives the pipe for examination and DNA testing. In researching dying out of the Bard's genealogical line, the scientist imagines keeping a bit of the lip-cell DNA and trying to make a clone to revive the Shakespeare genetic family. He succumbs to the temptation, convinces his wife-to-be to receive the implant, and, in the process, becomes monomaniacal about his project. Things do not go as planned. Along the way we witness discussions about human evolution and the nature of our souls. Is a human the product of genes, of simply biology? What about nurture, one's social and historical context? Kingsley tries to give Will, who is an odd, aberrant child, a "Renaissance" education. In essence, he tries to "re-create" a Shakespeare. Kingsley's wife first suffers through an agonizing pregnancy and then is gaslighted and tormented by the prankish, Puckish young Will, and, like Lady Macbeth, she is driven mad by her complicity in the replication project. Kingsley's mother observes it all and offers a normalizing context for both the decline of her daughter-in-law Elizabeth and the apparent lack of affect in her grandson Will--who seems to be a heartless observer of humanity--as well as the alteration of her own son Kingsley into a Bardophile.

Will makes his way through adolescence, befriending a mysterious waif he meets in the dimly-lit cellar of the apartment building-his own version of a Dark Lady. There they regularly smoke a pipe Will acquired on an educational outing, a Bones-of-the-Thames pipe thrown into the river during Shakespeare's own day. With the girl, Cece, Will discovers the joy of sex, which he later exploits to fuller, playful gratification with a young actress he meets after volunteering with a local theatrical group. His directorial work leads to recognition by the Royal Shakespeare Company and impending production of a new "Shakespearean" play based on Will's own experience with archery, "The Merrie Tale of Robin Hood." Even though he's revealed no enlightening secrets about the true nature and creative genius of his predecessor, other than a removed and callous manipulative quality toward humankind, Will, no mensch, is victorious-and enduring. His name will be reborn at the Globe, and both of his young mistresses become pregnant with his progeny.

Advance reviewers comment: "Mason's story offers us a plot worthy of the Bard himself-with devious wit, intrigue, and pathos. 'Shakespeare's Pipe' is a page-turner, brimming with the mysteries of genetic codes and surprising plot twists. A stunning insight into the nature of identity and the connection between language and reality, between art and life." -Ellen M. Caldwell, Professor of English

"A brilliantly crafted contemporary morality tale. American scholar Alexandra Mason proves herself to be a talented and highly engaging storyteller, weaving together age-old patterns of character and language into models of actual behavior. This novel takes its place within the well-established literary tradition of Shelley and her descendants." -Marilyn Ewing, Professor of English

"Mason's writing is truly spot-on and her characters well-developed and engaging. The movement of the narrative is smooth, believable, and intriguing. Definitely a best seller here." -Brenda Croghan, Literary Editor