You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
katywhumpus 's review for:
Some Kind of Fairy Tale
by Graham Joyce
Very engrossing and a quick read. It's a fascinating modern take on the classic fairy abduction tale. Woman returns 20 years after she went missing, appears to have not aged, and says she was only away 6 months. Her family reaction is to send her for a barrage of medical tests and pay for an expensive (but quirky) therapist. The chapters containing the psychiatrist's reports were the most compelling. His attempts to create clinical, psychological explanations for the tale he is being told drags the reader's mindset onto the fence. The reader goes from I'm-reading-a-fairy-tale-and-buying-into-it to This-shrink-has-a-point. Ultimately, I bought the fairy tale (because that was my expectation when I picked up the book), but I very much enjoyed the alternate explanations.
I almost gave this 4 stars, because of all of the above, but I was disappointed in the lack of development of some of the key characters. Particularly Heiro, the fairy abductor, who stalks Tara with serious, sometimes sinister motivation. But you never find out what that motivation is. Tara's parents, and their emotional journey after the return of their missing daughter, were mostly ignored in favor of her big brother and nephew. There is an attempt at a twist at the end - the identification of the narrator - but you aren't told this is a mystery that will be revealed until the penultimate chapter. I hadn't been wondering and didn't care when I found out.
I almost gave this 4 stars, because of all of the above, but I was disappointed in the lack of development of some of the key characters. Particularly Heiro, the fairy abductor, who stalks Tara with serious, sometimes sinister motivation. But you never find out what that motivation is. Tara's parents, and their emotional journey after the return of their missing daughter, were mostly ignored in favor of her big brother and nephew. There is an attempt at a twist at the end - the identification of the narrator - but you aren't told this is a mystery that will be revealed until the penultimate chapter. I hadn't been wondering and didn't care when I found out.