In addition to the political gravitas and suspense of the story’s central arc, “The Hamlet” is also a story of personal and political transformation where the lurking danger also acts as a catalyst for romance, self-inquiry, and collective solidarity. The protagonist, Stuart, a part Scottish and Italian writer, is guided by the belief that the horrifying things he and his wife Sophie discover are his destiny to investigate and expose.

After confiding in an older academic friend and mentor, Stuart is then introduced to a man who is professionally privy to, and opposed to, the illegal operations of the underground lab. Soon after, an ornithologist with his alluring wife, a psychologist, arrive in San Nicola. Regardless of their infidelities and differences, the characters all eventually gain greater self-awareness and solidarity in trying to reveal the criminal activities within the lab.

Although their efforts to expose the truth halt when two of the group are murdered, after hiding for a while, those remaining achieve a sense of relief and peace watching the demolition of the two towers and the Great Wall around the hamlet, and the closure of the underground lab.

Throughout “The Hamlet”, Stewart’s rich philosophical prose not only deepens and reveals the psychological and physical traits of his characters, but also enhances the geographic, architectural, and historical landscape. Despite the bleak and believable scenarios, Stewart still manages to portray Rome, Italy, and Europe as an intensely historic and romantic places that not even the world’s worst powers can diminish.