Falling for Hamlet

First-time author Ray's ambitious endeavor%E2%80%94retelling Hamlet's tale in a contemporary, pop culture context through the voice of a more liberal and strong-willed Ophelia%E2%80%94is most likely to appeal to those dissatisfied with the original heroine's lack of backbone. The book's depiction of the verbally abused girlfriend and her crazed beau is tied to commentary about celebrity culture: the scandals that leak out of the Danish court are accompanied by media frenzies that will be familiar to modern readers. But details about the lives of the rich and famous draw focus away from the psychological unraveling of the two main characters. The juxtaposed narratives%E2%80%94dialogue between Ophelia and a team of investigators, flashbacks spurred by an Oprahesque talk-show host's questions%E2%80%94are distracting, and references to the original ("He was scrawling %E2%80%98To Be' and %E2%80%98Not to Be' over and over. %E2%80%98What's that?' I asked. %E2%80%98That is the question.'%C2%A0") come off as contrived as the climax of the tragedy, which occurs during a lacrosse game. This self-consciously hip tale contains all of the bloodshed but none of the subtlety of its antecedent. Ages 14%E2%80%93up. (July)