Poison

[sawyl]

Something fresh in the form of Sarah Pinborough's truly excellent Poison, a subversive spin on Snow White takes the usual tale as its basis only to combine it with a subversive Carterian take on the myth, with a layer of plausible characterisation added to give it a feeling of real depth.

The story is as you might expect: the wicked step-mother is jeolous of Snow White, the apple of the King's eye. When the King goes off to war, leaving the step-mother to cement her own power base, relations become somewhat strained. Eventually the Queen takes steps to kill Snow White, firstly through the offices of a huntsman and, when he fails, with the aid of her great-grandmother's magical powers. Eventually a prince finds Snow's body in the care of the dwarves and the curse is lifted.

So far, so normal, but Pinborough's Queen is wicked for a reason. Stuck in an unhappy marriage after being expelled from her home for witchcraft, the Queen a firm follower of Machiavellian principals, believing that it is far better to be feared than loved — something that quickly puts her at odds with Snow — only to find that little step she takes along the path robs her of more of her humanity. Snow, romantic and wild where the Queen is rational and controlled, spends her time riding, drinking, swimming, and hanging out with the dwarves, all the time wearing the most unsuitable and unladylike of clothes.

Needless to say, the dwarves, having taken Snow into their cottage for safety, are devastated when Snow is poisoned by a passing crone and blame themselves for their loss. Fortunately, when an injured prince happens to pass by, his heart is snagged as much by Dreamy's romanticised, fairytale version of his own conception of Snow White as it is by the appearance of her spell-bound corpse.

Will Dreamy's version of Snow live up to the prince's hopes and will they live happily ever after and will the wicked Queen get her comeuppance? I'm not saying...