First published 2014
Lost children wander through modern landscapes searching for home. Adults carry curses from unspeakable past acts that now demand payment in the present. A woman questions whether what she feels is true love or enchantment. Thompson places fairy tale logic inside contemporary settings, where the downtrodden still rise up, where appearances mask darker truths, and where virtue can triumph through the most brutal means. Her characters face wolves that may be human, houses that trap the unwary, and beauties who sleep under mysterious spells. The magic operates according to ancient rules, but the settings are recognizably our own world. Humility becomes a weapon. Goodness battles evil with gruesome determination. Eight stories explore how fairy tale fears and longings persist in everyday life, from "The Witch" through "Inamorata," "Candy," "Faith," and "Prince." Thompson captures both the horror and wonder that made the original tales endure.
Genres: short-stories, literary-fiction, fantasy, fairy-tale-retellings
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
256 pages · Hardcover · Blue Rider Press
Content warnings: violence