Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold

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Though I don't think this story is particularly original, it does deal with the themes of domestic abuse and how abusers make their victims feel complicit in their own abuse very well. They are not a part of popular culture the way fairy stories from other countries have become, via the Brothers Grimm and, eventually, Disney. Hag is an anthology of stories responding to classic folk tales from the British Isles, penned by some of the most exciting women writing in Britain and Ireland today.

Undoubtedly, this is one of the most appealing and riveting short story collections I've read in recent years, and I can't recommend it highly enough for those who enjoy old myths and legends, and even the supernatural or fairytales, and one of the best aspects is that this book doesn't just retell the prominent stories we all know, hence the use of ’forgotten’ in the title.Here are sisters fighting for the love of the same woman, a pregnant archaeologist unearthing impossible bones, and lost children following you home. Sometimes the thing we think we're the most sure about actually turns out to be our biggest mistake. a brilliant, heartbreaking debut that perfectly captures the delirious highs and bruising lows of intoxicating friendship. Meanwhile Emma Glass’s ‘The Dampness Is Spreading’ approaches the tale of the fairy midwife by turning it into the story of an exhausted hospital worker haunted by grim thoughts, leaving us unsure what is real – much like her novel Rest and Be Thankful.

Originally conceived as an Audible podcast, the book version from Virago Press also has two new stories as well as copies of the original tales on which they are based. I was on an edge throughout because of the way it was told but the twist wasn't as great as it was built out to be. About a princess who is bound to a loveless marriage to a prince (by magic) and is cursed to be a panther.This kind of commentary, butting into the narrative every so often, comes off as comic; but it also reminds us that because these tales have no original per se, since they are defined by their endless retelling. I felt that the strident anti-Catholic rhetoric actually lessened the impact of the original by highlighting and underlining what is more subtly conveyed in the folktale. The stories all seem to have this undercurrent of ambiguity and creepiness that I doubt would thrive in a mainstream reading community, although several of the stories could absolutely be expanded to full-length novels that would be consumed with ease. Hag' is a collection curated by Professor Carolyne Larrington, and while it was interesting to read the stories, I really enjoyed reading the introduction as well. I've quite enjoyed these and I'm glad I listened rather than read them because I might have missed Professor Carolyne Larrington's talks with the authors.