Mona Awad’s ‘All’s Well’ follows a drama teacher called Miranda who is dealing with chronic pains and unable to find an explanation for such, as she attempts to put on a performance of Shakespeare’s ‘All’s Well that Ends Well’. Miranda makes a Faustian deal with three businessmen to pass on her pain to others and spends the duration of the novel grappling with this. The chapters about the presentation of the play and rehearsals combined with Miranda’s intensity were really enjoyable and the middle third of the book was great, although Miranda in facing this pain was such an insufferable and whiney character. The ending however was so weird and confused and I am not sure if I particularly enjoyed it, not to mention any chapters set in the bar with the Faustian trio felt so out of place and confused. Many elements of the book were enjoyable, particularly the engagement with a more ‘niche’ Shakespeare, but it just came to a very unsatisfying and odd conclusion.