Kissing the Witch

I would have read this in one sitting if my phone battery hadn't run out! Each tale entices you further in to the mysterious lands of princesses, witches, curses and love. Each teller shows us a different angle of the traditional stories, individualising them through the first-person narration. The short story cycle has the recounter ask a question from another character which leads to the next tale. I liked this at first but found it grated slightly on repetition. Overall, it is an enjoyable twist on traditional fairy tales with a focus on the female experience.

‘'There are some tales not for telling, whether because they are too long, too precious, too laughable, too painful, too easy to need telling or too hard to explain.''

I feel that this quote describes the essence of Donoghue's book in a poignant and clear way. This isn't a collection of short stories in the traditional sense of the word. It is a series of tales closely linked to each other. The stories of women who loved, yearned, who were hurt by others, who sought revenge, justice, comfort. Each story is narrated by a woman to the female protagonist of the previous tale and the legends pass from one woman to another. If nothing else, this shows that those we have come to regard as the ‘'good'' or the ‘'bad'' characters of a tale are not very different from each other.

If you read my reviews, you'll notice that Emma Donoghue is a writer I swear by. I may sound as a fangirl, but she can do no wrong in my book. Everything I've read of her has left me speechless, has moved me beyond words. Her books are in my all-time top 10 and I hereby unashamedly admit I would read her shopping list. She is on a pedestal, along with Jeanette Winterson, Hannah Kent and a few selected others whose books I'd read even if they'd come without front cover, title or synopsis. ‘'Kissing the Witch'' is a book that contains the best retellings of the most well- known and beloved fairy tales of our childhood. Yes, in Donoghue's hands a story about 4-5 pages at most becomes better than major retellings struggling to come through out of an entire book of normal length. This is why there are authors who create sentences that enclose the world. The world Donoghue has chosen is the one of fairy tales passed down from generation to generation.

Each story bears the title ‘'The Kiss of...''. I found the choice of the word ‘'kiss'' particularly interesting. A kiss is an act of tenderness, affection and love. However, the kiss also carries the connotation of betrayal and treachery, bringing to mind Jesus' betrayal by Judas with a kiss. So,a kiss is a highly ambiguous symbol. In the book, there are many ‘'kisses''. The kiss of the Bird, the Rose (a beautiful reimagining of ‘'Beauty and the Beast''), the Apple, the Handkerchief, the Hair, the Brother, the Spinster, the Skin (a tale as disturbing and dark as it is beautiful), the Needle, the Voice. The story named simply ‘'The Kiss'' brings us full circle.

Cinderella, Beauty, Aurora, the Goose Girl, the Little Mermaid, Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin, all the fairytales we grew up with are present in a volume that talks about Otherness and Alienation. Donoghue uses the legends of the past to show how society transformed women who refused to follow the norms and the rules of patriarchy into witches, monsters, creatures that must be exiled in order not to defile the others and, especially, the younger women. Women who love women and were regarded as ‘'anomalies of nature'', women who sought justice and revenge, equal opportunities to power and respect for their abilities, women who could heal and help others were brought to scorn, to persecution and, eventually, to a pyre or a noose because they were deemed too dangerous to the foundations of a world built by narrow mindedness and utter lack of education.

The way Donoghue writes is nothing short of astonishing. When I read one of her books, I recognise her voice in the text and yet, each one of her works is so different and so unique. ‘'Kissing the Witch'' falls into so many categories. Fantasy, Fairytales, LGBT Literature, Feminism. These are not just retellings of the stories of princesses and witches. There are themes under the allegories relevant to the discrepancies against women in the past and in the present. Because, let's face it. For some people, we'll never stop being the ‘'evil witches'' of their own little stories. Of course, they probably don't know that many of us would carry the title proudly knowing its true meaning...

‘'This is the story you asked for. I leave it in your mouth.''

3.5 // I think I was expecting something else, and so I was a little bit disappointed. I'll have to revisit at some point! I really enjoy the stories though.

A friend handed this to me and demanded I read it and I am so glad I did! If I could read it over again, I would take a break in between the stories as they are all kind of mushed together in my head right now, but otherwise these stories are great.
Perfect for those that love fairy tale re-tellings (if that is actually a word).