Poison
Sarah Pinborough
Publisher: Gollancz
A beautiful, sexy, contemporary retelling of the classic Snow White fairy tale, illustrated by Les Edwards.
POISON is a beautifully illustrated retelling of the Snow White story which takes all the elements of the classic fairytale that we love (the handsome prince, the jealous queen, the beautiful girl and, of course, the poisoning) and puts a modern spin on the characters, their motives and their desires.
POISON is a beautifully illustrated retelling of the Snow White story which takes all the elements of the classic fairytale that we love (the handsome prince, the jealous queen, the beautiful girl and, of course, the poisoning) and puts a modern spin on the characters, their motives and their desires.
One
of the first stories we ever hear are fairy tales with charming princes
rescuing the sweet naive Princess from evil stepmothers and magic enchantments so
these classic tales get lodged in our collective consciences. And it was with
both anticipation and trepidation that I approached this adult version of the
children’s story of Snow White – the ‘true story’ as it was always meant to be.
Despite
the small page count – just 200 pages, this is definitely an adult version with
sex and swearing, but is still simply told, managing to capture the feel of
classic fairy tales. Interestingly, despite being the story of Snow White, the
tale is told mostly from the point of view of other characters – the wicked
Stepmother, one of the dwarves and the handsome Prince and gives a very
different interpretation of their roles and motivations from the simplified
version. I particularly liked getting to know Lilith, the stepmother who
managed to become three-dimensional character with her own issues and her
descent into wickedness was an intriguing addition to the story. The prince
also has a very different role from his usual handsome rescuer position. Yet,
despite these twists many of the expected notes are included in the story from
seven dwarves, the huntsman, the old crone with the apple and the magic mirror,
but none happens exactly as you had expected.
Overall,
Poison has a charisma and instinctive appeal that will stay with you long after
you finish reading with the story of Snow White in your own mind subtly
different from before. I loved the wider world Sarah Pinborough hints at behind
Snow White’s story with hints and glimpses of other fairy stories. This gentle
teasing has whetting appetite for Charm
and Beauty, two more sexed up fairy
tales from Sarah coming soon.
Recommended
for fans of Neil Gaiman and Malinda Lo. 8 out of 10
