The Witch and Other Tales Re-Told
by Jean Thompson
A girlfriend of mine gave me her copy of The Witch, a collection of modern-day short stories based on classic fairy tales. The premise Jean Thompson came up with was an interesting one, which is why my friend thought I’d like to read it: What scenario would have to be created in order for these fantastic fairy tales to become realistic? In other words, in Beauty and the Beast, how could a woman communicate and bond with an animal? Thompson writes of a mentally-ill woman whose medication makes her hallucinate her dog is talking to her. For Little Red Riding Hood, Thompson writes of the modern, too-realistic situation: an online predator.
Doesn’t that sound interesting? For the most part, these stories are very fun to read. I enjoy “fractured fairy tales,” since these tales are so timeless and can inspire people in so many different ways. Some of the stories are very dark, and a couple of them are a little too weird to be enjoyable, but all in all I’m very glad I was given a copy. My favorite was the Hansel and Gretel transported to a foster parent setting.
Doesn’t that sound interesting? For the most part, these stories are very fun to read. I enjoy “fractured fairy tales,” since these tales are so timeless and can inspire people in so many different ways. Some of the stories are very dark, and a couple of them are a little too weird to be enjoyable, but all in all I’m very glad I was given a copy. My favorite was the Hansel and Gretel transported to a foster parent setting.