Sarah Pinborough's Poison will be published by Titan Books in March 2015. (This book was originally published in 2013.)
Information about Sarah Pinborough:
Sarah Pinborough is a critically acclaimed horror, thriller and YA author. In the UK she is published by both Gollancz and Jo Fletcher Books at Quercus and by Ace, Penguin and Titan in the US. Her short stories have appeared in several anthologies and she has a horror film Cracked currently in development and another original screenplay under option. She has recently branched out into television writing and has written for New Tricks on the BBC and has an original series in development with World Productions and ITV Global.
Sarah was the 2009 winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Short Story, and has three times been short-listed for Best Novel. She has also been short-listed for a World Fantasy Award. Her novella, The Language of Dying was short-listed for the Shirley Jackson Award and won the 2010 British Fantasy Award for Best Novella.
Click here to visit the author's official website.
Information about Poison:
An enticing contemporary retelling of the classic story of Snow White. While the the handsome prince, the jealous queen, the beautiful girl and of course the poison all appear, Sarah Pinborough's charming and provocative spin on the story will captivate fans of the fairy tale all over again.
The first of three brand-new retellings of classic fairy tales by Sarah Pinborough.
A REVIEW OF SARAH PINBOROUGH'S POISON
Sarah Pinborough's Poison was a pleasant surprise for me, because it was a dark and excellent fairy tale for adults. This Titan Books edition made a huge impression on me, because it was my kind of a fairy tale (I've always loved dark retellings of classic fairy tales and this modernized fairy tale had all the elements needed to charm and impress me).
Sarah Pinborough gives a fantastic new twist and punch to the classic and beloved fairy tale of Snow White. This short novel is a beautifully dark, sexy and brutal adult version of Snow White that will charm and shock the readers in equal measure by its contents. It's fascinatingly different from the classic version due to its sexual and brutal contents.
This short novel is subtitled A Wicked Snow White Tale, which is quite accurate when considering its contents, because it's a delightfully wicked and macabre fairy tale. It's something different for readers who are intrigued by classic fairy tales and their modern interpretations. This version has much more in common with the original version of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale than the well-known and sanitized Disney version, because it has plenty of sharpness and harshness.
I've noticed a notable increase in fairy tale retellings during the recent years. I think it's great that many authors have begun to write their own versions of classic fairy tales, because they've added something new to them. Sarah Pinborough's approach to classic fairy tales is wonderfully brutal and twisted. Her version of Snow White sparkles with fascinating roughness and sexuality - some of it quite raw and potent.
Here's information about the story:
The queen, Lilith, loathes her husband who is the king. She also doesn't like his daughter, Snow White, and her freedom. She thinks that Snow White is too careless and everything's too easy for her. Lilith often hides in her own private room and collects magical items. The magic mirror tells Lilith of Snow White's beauty and kindness and it fuels her hatred towards Snow White. She wants to get rid of Snow White. When the king goes to war and the queen is left alone with Snow White, things change a lot, because the queen begins to gain more control over many things. When Snow White manages to humiliate the Lilith, Lilith reaches the end of her patience...
This is the beginning of a masterfully told tale of jealousy and wickedness.
I was suprised by how well the author wrote about the main characters. The characterizaton was excellent and worked perfectly, because Lilith and Snow White were interesting characters.
Lilith, the evil queen, has quite a lot of depth to her. She hasn't had an easy life, because she has had to battle for her position and has learned to use power. She resents Snow White's freedom and the way she's been given everything too easily. She can't stand Snow White and her beauty. She wants to get rid of Snow White as soon as possible so that she can have all the power to herself.
Snow White has normally been depicted as a simple, innocent and kind princess, but now she's not as simple and innocent as one might expect, because Sarah Pinborough writes fluently how Snow White rebels againts the queen and her commands. Snow White ignores the queen's commands and does as she pleases.
I enjoyed reading about how Snow White wasn't as innocent as she was believed to be. There's a well written and surprising scene near the end of the story where the author breaks the illusion of Snow White being a decent and proper young woman. The author managed to surprise me with this brilliant scene, because I didn't expect anything like it to happen in the story.
By writing about what the queen and Snow White feel about each other and how the queen hates Snow White, the author brings plenty of depth and style to the story. The hatred and desperation of the queen is easy to notice when you read the story and find out how much she wants to control everything and will do almost anything to get rid of Snow White.
The scene in which Snow White humiliates Lilith reveals just how big the problems are between Lilith and Snow White. Lilith feels that Snow White is an ignorant child and hasn't grown up at all. This incident marks the beginning of Lilith's decline into a dangerous woman who is willing to do anything to get rid of those who threaten her.
All the elements from the original fairy tale can be found in this version. Sarah Pinborough uses them well and adds her own kind of magic to the story by twisting them into an adult format. She spices up these elements with brutality and sex.
Things related to sex and sexuality are handled in an excellent way in this short novel. The scenes involving sex bring a cool edge to the story. It's possible that certain readers may cringe at the idea of a fairy tale having sex in it, but I personally enjoy reading this kind of adult versions of classic fairy tales. I think it's great that there are authors who dare to break a few rules when they modernize fairy tales. Times have changed a lot since these old fairy tales were originally published, so it's good that authors add modern elements to them.
I liked the author's prose, because it had a fairy-tale-like quality to it. Although the author has written a modern version of an old fairy tale, she hadn't forgotten that the prose must be fluent. Her prose flows effortlessly from the first page to the last page.
I have to mention that the appearance of Aladdin was a nice surprise. I'm not going to reveal what kind of a person he is, but I can mention that he's not what you might expect him to be, because the author has her own unique and twisted vision of him.
One of the most interesting aspects of Poison is that Sarah Pinborough examines what happens when our image of another person is shattered by a surprising revelation. In my opinion she writes surprisingly well about the consequences of such a revelation, because the consequences are wonderfully disturbing. I won't reveal what happens in the story, but I'll mention that the happenings are truly memorable.
The ending of Poison is brilliantly disturbing. I'm sure that the ending will please many readers who have read dark fantasy and horror stories, but it will also please readers who want to read something out of the ordinary. If you enjoy reading dark fairy tales, you'll love the ending. In my opinion the ending is appropriately dark and twisted.
The cover artwork in this Titan Books edition looks gorgeous and will please readers who want the best from their novels. In my opinion this short novel can be called a work of art, because the cover of the hardcover edition is stunningly beautiful.
By the way, if you find yourself enjoying this short novel, please read the companion short novels: Charm and Beauty.
If you've ever read fairy tales and have found them fascinating, do yourself a big favour and read this retelling of Snow White. You won't regret reading it, because it's something different and beautifully dark for adult readers. It's one of the best and most fascinating retellings of Snow White available for readers.
Highly recommended!