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A review by wickham
My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales by Kate Bernheimer
5.0
I am, I think understandably, distrustful of anthologies of any kind. Even if an anthology contains a number of well-written pieces the overall experience of reading it is often marred by the worse pieces which pepper the book. That being said, this may be the anthology that teaches me to love them again.
The majority of the short story authors chosen are familiar names, and those that I was introduced to through this book are certainly deserving of that same recognition. The style and concept that the authors chose to pursue in the spirit of fairy tale was wildly varying, and there was never a moment that I felt I knew what was coming next. There are no beat for beat fairy tale retellings in this book: only revolutionary transformative works. The authors notes which ended every story provided necessary perspective and insight into the works themselves, and were often as thought provoking as the stories themselves.
Every story was a new, immersive adventure, able to nimbly weave intricate and engrossing narratives despite their truncated length. These may be fairy tales, but they are never childish. Many tackle difficult, complicated themes with deft, unflinching expertise. They are thought-provoking, breath-taking, and heart-stopping in turn. Even one of such stories would be a treasure - this anthology is a dragon's hoard.
The majority of the short story authors chosen are familiar names, and those that I was introduced to through this book are certainly deserving of that same recognition. The style and concept that the authors chose to pursue in the spirit of fairy tale was wildly varying, and there was never a moment that I felt I knew what was coming next. There are no beat for beat fairy tale retellings in this book: only revolutionary transformative works. The authors notes which ended every story provided necessary perspective and insight into the works themselves, and were often as thought provoking as the stories themselves.
Every story was a new, immersive adventure, able to nimbly weave intricate and engrossing narratives despite their truncated length. These may be fairy tales, but they are never childish. Many tackle difficult, complicated themes with deft, unflinching expertise. They are thought-provoking, breath-taking, and heart-stopping in turn. Even one of such stories would be a treasure - this anthology is a dragon's hoard.