TENDER MORSELS by Margo Lanagan

So. Reviews. I did say I would write them. I seriously haven’t had time to eat, let alone blog in the past few weeks. But if you’re curious about what I’m reading outside of work, you should probably check me out on Goodreads.

The hardcover of TENDER MORSELS by Margo Lanagan

There’s not much I can really say about TENDER MORSELS that’s coherent. This novel slayed me. I closed the pages feeling absolutely gutted and wrung out, wondering if the world would ever be okay again and knowing it will.

TENDER MORSELS is a retelling of the fairytale Snow White and Rose Red (Schneeweißchen und Rosenrot), which is about two sisters, roses, a bear prince, an ungrateful dwarf, and stolen treasure.

I’m rather fond of fairytale retellings, as is evidenced by my love of Robin McKinley’s BEAUTY, Elizabeth C. Bunce’s A CURSE AS DARK AS GOLD, Malinda Lo’s ASH, and countless others. I love them as literal or as figurative as they come. I think I love fairytale retellings because the story mechanics are already in place so the author is free to take the characters and world in any which direction s/he pleases. Similarly, fairytales being so sketchy and vague themselves allow for wonderful interpretations of the source material.

In the case of TENDER MORSELS, Lanagan is more figurative and less literal, turning a story of two sisters and a bear prince into a beautiful and haunting story about blood and family. The book is viscerally moving and in many parts disturbing. The novel opens with a dwarf having lost his virginity to the town slut before moving onto the horrific tale of Liga, a young girl imprisoned and repeatedly raped by her own father.

Rape, incest, forced abortion, these are only a few of the issues Lanagan touches on throughout the novel. Due to the horrific circumstances of her early life, Liga escapes into a beautiful and literal fantasy world of her own making with her two daughters, both of whom are children of violence: the first of incest and the second of gang rape.

Branza and Urdda grow up in an idyllic paradise, but little by little, the “real” world begins to punch holes into their peaceful lives. First the dwarf (from the first scene!) and then men who turn into bears when they crossover. Sheltered beyond belief, the sisters react very differently to these intrusions. Fiery little Urdda (Rose Red) wonders about the world beyond, while placid Branza (Snow White) would prefer things to remain the same.

Of course things must change, even in the dreamlike existence of Liga’s created world. Sexual awakening, heartbreak, and murder can’t be avoided, even in paradise. Urdda finds her way into the real world, but Branza and Liga stay behind, and the consequences of reality permeating fantasy are substantial.

Ultimately, this novel is about womanhood, about the bonds females forge with each other. It’s incredibly powerful, disturbing, and moving. Go read! Go! Go!

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