Available to read with Kindle Unlimited
Blurb
Once upon a time, there was a boy named Lev.
He didn’t have skin as white as snow or hair that fell in golden ropes. But he was quick witted and braver than he knew. And he would need to be.
When Lev goes to live with his uncle in the little village nestled against the deep dark forest at the foot of the mountains, the place seems pleasant enough. But Lev soon starts to wonder about things that don’t quite make sense—dark looks on people’s faces, cries in the night that go unanswered and secrets whispered. But it isn’t until the first full moon that he truly understands why his parents left their families and never wanted to return. Or why they never spoke of Grandmother who lives in the forest. Or the Big Bad Wolf who lives with her.
Until one day Lev is sent into the forest to Grandmother’s house.
Then all he wonders is whether he’ll ever make it out of the forest again.
He didn’t have skin as white as snow or hair that fell in golden ropes. But he was quick witted and braver than he knew. And he would need to be.
When Lev goes to live with his uncle in the little village nestled against the deep dark forest at the foot of the mountains, the place seems pleasant enough. But Lev soon starts to wonder about things that don’t quite make sense—dark looks on people’s faces, cries in the night that go unanswered and secrets whispered. But it isn’t until the first full moon that he truly understands why his parents left their families and never wanted to return. Or why they never spoke of Grandmother who lives in the forest. Or the Big Bad Wolf who lives with her.
Until one day Lev is sent into the forest to Grandmother’s house.
Then all he wonders is whether he’ll ever make it out of the forest again.
“Lev. Be a good boy, dear. Don’t run. It’s so much worse if you run.”
This is a dark fairytale told in the traditional style, with
talking animals, violence and sexual content. Definitely not for children.
Review
I’m going to keep this review short, mainly because your
really, really don’t want to know a whole lot more about the story than what
you can find in the blurb.
But, I do have a few thoughts I would like to share.
Fairytales, when they were first collected and/or imagined,
were very far removed from the stories Disney produces these days. Those original
fairytales were dark, cautionary tales, which didn’t necessarily come with a
happy or positive ending. In fact, they could be cruel and horrifying. The
Wolf and the Pear is very much like one of those original stories.
Having said that, what made The Wolf and the Pear
such an intriguing and captivating read was the wonderful and perfectly
balanced mix of light and dark—a most delightful tale of opposites. Horror and
affection overlap and flow into each other, leaving the reader gasping and
turning the pages, eager to find out what will happen next and wondering if the
story can possibly end on a positive, happy note. (No, I have no intention of telling
you whether it does or not.)
Suffice to say that Lev was a wonderfully human and modest
hero and the Wolf a lot more, but also less, than he initially appears to be. The
horrid scenes are truly monstrous while the gentle parts will melt your heart
and the descriptions of both are so vivid you may want to look away at times.
Long story short, Alex Jane had produced a memorable dark
(fairy) tale and left me in awe of her imagination and storytelling prowess. If
you’re not afraid of the occasional shock and a few scenes that will make you
flinch, I highly recommend The Wolf and the Pear. Stories as
original as this are few and far between, and I’m delighted I caught this one.
No comments:
Post a Comment