Anne Boleyn's Downfall Seen Through Thomas Cromwell's Eyes

“Once you have fixed on the destruction of an enemy, that destruction must be swift and it must be perfect.” Bring Up The Bodies 

 

Hilary Mantel’s ‘Bring Up The Bodies’ (2012) is the second instalment in a three-book series chronicling the life of Thomas Cromwell, King Henry VIII’s chief henchman. This novel, and Mantel’s first novel in the series, Wolf Hall (2009), both won the Booker Prize. Bring Up The Bodies focuses on the final nine months of Henry’s fractious, three-year marriage to Anne Boleyn (September 1535 to May 1536). The story is told entirely from Cromwell’s point of view, which provides a window into what Cromwell is thinking, seeing and feeling. Although the time frame is short, dozens of historical characters make appearances during this volatile period of English history. What’s really going on here? Henry has grown bored and exasperated with wife, Anne, who has failed to produce a male heir, and he commands Cromwell to orchestrate her downfall so that Henry can marry a new love interest, Jane Seymour. Cromwell resorts to treachery, torture and legal maneuvering to fulfill the king’s wishes. As intriguing as Cromwell’s life is, however, it is overshadowed by Henry VIII himself. The king - nicknamed Harry - is portrayed as a brute: vain, cruel, cunning, paranoid, petty, charismatic, miserly, and tyrannical. This is an immersive novel with dense prose and a dreamlike quality to it. Characters weave in and out of the narrative at whim, and it’s often difficult to know who’s speaking to whom. Thankfully, Mantel includes a cast of characters to help readers keep track. Mounting drama, political intrigues and shifting loyalties make for an engrossing read. Kudos to Mantel for breathing fresh fictional life and perspectives into historical figures who continue to fascinate, almost five centuries after the fact.