by GennaRose Nethercott
Fantasy and folklore are genres I don’t explore often but I was absolutely drawn in by this cover and title.
This collection of short stories centres around a fairytale kind of theme with witchy characters, supernatural settings, and mystical animals. There’s a darkness to each story reminiscent of the original telling of fairytales.
This is a strange one. While I like Nethercott’s writing style, I felt like I didn’t really understand much of what I was reading. Some stories were written almost as a stream of consciousness which was interesting but made me feel like I was stumbling through. Nethercott creates a lot of pretty turns of phrase and uses whimsy to her advantage, pairing the otherworldly with recognizable elements. She’s a very talented writer but I couldn’t help but feel that I was somewhat out of my depth.
If there are any morals or metaphors these stories are meant to represent (obviously there are), they were lost on me. This might be a reflection of my lack of critical thinking but these stories are just too abstract for me. I think the collection starts strong because I was able to at least understand the premise of the first story (two girls work at a never-ending staircase) and the concept was intriguing but I quickly fell into oblivion after that.
“An efficient predator must think like her prey, so she may always be one step ahead. For the hunted, one step ahead is death. So the best hunters must already be dead.”
Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart: And Other Stories, p. 96
I’m envious of Nethercott’s imagination. These stories are so conceptually novel that I don’t even know where to begin in describing them. (Again, this may be due to my ineptitude.) Reading this felt like being in a dream world where there aren’t really any rules or guidelines. Everything is different. Everything is free-flowing.
Like any other childlike-minded individual (I can’t find a kind way to say that I’m probably a little immature), I really enjoyed the illustrations of the fifty beasts. The descriptions weren’t always included so it was certainly helpful and added a special element to comprehend these curiously creative creatures.
I might need to give this one another read to see if my understanding is better the second time around. Between the woman who turned into a home, the army made of fog and the boy made of thread, I got lost. But what wonderful bits of inventiveness. This book left me feeling puzzled but for a more adept reader, I’m sure this will unlock portals to new worlds in your own imagination.
Thank you very much Vintage Books for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review.
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