18.12 Deerskin
This is the first book I have read by McKinley, recommended
and lent by a wonderful friend, but I see that she has made a bit of a career
out of rewriting fairy tales while highlighting strong female heroines. Hallelujah!
The fact is that I love fairy tales, mostly because I glean a
sense of comfort while reading them, but also because I dreamed of castles and
princes as a girl. I know the
basic plot structure and so I know what I am in for. In recent years, there has been a push towards retelling
everything, and it makes me wonder where our creativity has gone, but I didn’t
feel this way about Deerskin. It
felt like a whole new story. To be
fair, I am not very familiar with the story it is based on, Donkey skin by
Charles Perrault, but something about it still felt new. It is dark in many ways, as we all know
most fairy tales were until Disney got their hands on them, but it is also very
hopeful. There are
supernatural elements but they felt based in reality, as if they could have
been hallucinations just as easily as fantasy. It all felt very real yet very much remained a story and I
think that is why it was so successful for me. I will certainly be going back to discover more of her books.
Coming
away, I feel like Deerskin was everything I need a book to be: well-written,
pure escapism, and the satisfaction of a story well told, with a message worth
telling.
0 comments:
Post a Comment