White as Snow by Tanith Lee
A maiden is kidnapped. Her mother searches for her, disguised as an old beggar woman. A deadly fruit is eaten. The maiden dies, but not necessarily for good…
Depending on how you flesh out the rest of the tale, this could either be the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone, or the fairy tale “Snow White.” Tanith Lee weaves the two together in White as Snow until it’s hard to tell where one begins and the other ends. The myth and the fairy tale fit together well in Lee’s hands; the book follows both storylines and made me realize just how much symbolism the two stories have in common in the first place. It is a testament to Lee’s skill that after reading the book, I began to seriously wonder whether the fairy tale truly is a corrupted version of the myth, distorted over the centuries. Whether there is any real connection, the world may never know, but for the duration of White as Snow, Lee makes us believe it.
This is a very dark novel, and not for the squeamish. In addition, I had trouble sympathizing with the characters. They seem emotionally cold throughout much of the book. It makes sense, given their traumatic pasts, but it doesn’t make it any easier to relate to them. Still, four solid stars for a richly archetypal novel.
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