TITLE: Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold
AUTHOR: Daisy Johnson et al.
PUBLISHER: Virago, 2020
ISBN: 9780349013596
PODCAST EPISODE: None
REVIEWER: Tracey Norman
This is a beautiful collection of short stories curated by Professor Carolyne Larrington (St John’s College, Oxford). 10 British and Irish female authors have reworked some of our traditional tales, bringing them firmly into the 21st century. The original tales are included in a separate section at the end of the book, giving the reader the freedom to choose whether to read them as they are presented, or to alternate between the old and new versions. I have seen some reviews which suggested that placing each original story after its modern counterpart would have been preferable, but it made no difference to me personally.
These stories are crammed with a kaleidoscope of female characters and there is a strong folk horror vibe in several of them, focusing as they do on domestic drama, isolation and otherness. It’s a chilling, intense read, perfect for a cold, dark winter’s night. Taking in stories from across Britain and Ireland, flavoured with a light dusting of regional accents, the collection presents familiar folk figures such as selkies, boggarts and fairies in a refreshingly modern and relevant way.
The final story was the one which has stayed with me, a raw, intense tale of domestic abuse seen through the eyes of a child. It’s a stunning piece of writing which quickly established characters I came to care deeply about, and which led to a satisfying conclusion that will provide much food for thought.
As with any anthology, there are stories which touch you deeply and others which barely manage to reach you at all. Fortunately, in this collection, the former far outweighs the latter…there was really only one story that did not resound with me. Each author has their own individual voice and the stories are varied and fresh, yet this one jarred. This particular author chose a bewildering route for her retelling, giving it a voice which seemed out of place in the collection. After dragging myself through the first page and a half, I set the book aside in frustration, only to discover, when I returned to it, that it could easily have lost the first four pages without detracting significantly from the story.
Don’t let this one mar your overall view of the collection, however. It’s current, the voices shine out from the page – whether they are to your taste or not – and it brings a refreshing diversity to these tales.
AUTHOR: Daisy Johnson et al.
PUBLISHER: Virago, 2020
ISBN: 9780349013596
PODCAST EPISODE: None
REVIEWER: Tracey Norman
This is a beautiful collection of short stories curated by Professor Carolyne Larrington (St John’s College, Oxford). 10 British and Irish female authors have reworked some of our traditional tales, bringing them firmly into the 21st century. The original tales are included in a separate section at the end of the book, giving the reader the freedom to choose whether to read them as they are presented, or to alternate between the old and new versions. I have seen some reviews which suggested that placing each original story after its modern counterpart would have been preferable, but it made no difference to me personally.
These stories are crammed with a kaleidoscope of female characters and there is a strong folk horror vibe in several of them, focusing as they do on domestic drama, isolation and otherness. It’s a chilling, intense read, perfect for a cold, dark winter’s night. Taking in stories from across Britain and Ireland, flavoured with a light dusting of regional accents, the collection presents familiar folk figures such as selkies, boggarts and fairies in a refreshingly modern and relevant way.
The final story was the one which has stayed with me, a raw, intense tale of domestic abuse seen through the eyes of a child. It’s a stunning piece of writing which quickly established characters I came to care deeply about, and which led to a satisfying conclusion that will provide much food for thought.
As with any anthology, there are stories which touch you deeply and others which barely manage to reach you at all. Fortunately, in this collection, the former far outweighs the latter…there was really only one story that did not resound with me. Each author has their own individual voice and the stories are varied and fresh, yet this one jarred. This particular author chose a bewildering route for her retelling, giving it a voice which seemed out of place in the collection. After dragging myself through the first page and a half, I set the book aside in frustration, only to discover, when I returned to it, that it could easily have lost the first four pages without detracting significantly from the story.
Don’t let this one mar your overall view of the collection, however. It’s current, the voices shine out from the page – whether they are to your taste or not – and it brings a refreshing diversity to these tales.