...Wow. That's all I can really think to say at this point.Like most people, I love fairy tales. They're profound, grotesque, heartbreaking, hilarious, and have been proven themselves to be memorable as they're ingrained in popular culture. The stories in this book are either retellings of popular fairy tales, or they are original stories inspired by fairy tales. It's hard for me to pick favorites, but here's my list:- With Hair of Hand-Spun Gold by Neil Labute - a brutal treasure- The Erkling by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum - so much strange dread in such a short story- Dapplegrim by Brian Evenson - wonderful metaphor for rage and (this might be my personal bias) mental illness- In the Tree by Timothy Schaffert - unexpected, and so dark- Pleasure Boating in Lituya Bay by Jim Shepard - this story got me, and got me good...I felt for the protagonist and connected to him so much that the story was hard to read and yet I was sorry to see it end- Blue-Beareded Lover by Joyce Carol Oates - an interesting look at the Bluebeard fable, which is one of my favorites- Bluebeard in Ireland by John Updike - another story that hit close to home...hopeful and sad- A Case Study of Emergency Room Procedure and Risk Management by Hospital Staff Members in the Urban Facility by Stacey Richter - a brilliant way to tell a fairy tale, through medical notes- Orange by Neil Gaiman - I'd only seen this method once before, a story told through answers without revealing the questions, and it works so well here- Psyche's Dark Night by Francesca Lia Block - a clever retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth. Block does a fantastic job of portraying paranoia in a new relationship- The Story of the Mosquito by Lily Hoang - stories about greed always sadden me- Ever After by Kim Addonizio - devastating and so real- Whitework by Kate Bernheimer - I tend to enjoy stories in which I'm unsure of what's happening, ones that leave me unsure even after I've read them. So strange and alluring.You might have different favorites after reading this book, and that's fine. There are a few stories in here that didn't really do it for me, but I'll say this: I'm going to read more of every single author featured in this collection, and that has never happened to me before. Usually I'm able to cherry pick my favorites and discard those that didn't resonate, but I saw something in each of these stories that left me wanting more.
