LitPick Review
A dead farmer’s son and his winged archnemesis.
A swooning swine who should fear for her feet.
A blustering blossom who goes too far.
These intertwined tales and several others beckon from the darkly delightful depths of Fat & Bones, an eccentric collection of short stories that both electrify the imagination and send shivers down the spine. These stories, all taking place on the same farm, include everything from a pining mouse who will risk his life for love to a lonely spider who’d rather spin sonnets than webs. Each tale, though distinct, shares a link with the others, exemplifying the simultaneously lonesome and interconnected nature of life. Fat & Bones is edgier than your average book of fairy tales, imbued with a quirky darkness reminiscent of the fables of old, and its unique style of storytelling, paired with eerie illustrations that are at once beautiful and chilling, is sure to appeal to readers in search of a wholly atypical and wonderfully bizarre breed of bedtime story.
Opinion:
If I was expecting anything resembling a normal set of stories when I began this journey, let me tell you: I was very, very wrong. I was expecting, as one might, a conventionally cute collection of stories about animals on a farm, and I wasn’t especially excited about it.
As soon as the meat cleaver came out, however, I was in love.
This may sound a bit harsh for a kids’ book, and true, it may have been vaguely terrifying at times, but that’s what made this story so incredibly splendid: it’s tremendously imaginative but never sugarcoated, managing to be playful and clever as well as grim. The characters are diverse, intriguing, and often unexpected, like a clumsy spider or the brutish old fairy who takes him prisoner. Terrific plot twists run rampant throughout. The writing is lovely, not to mention the illustrations, which are quite marvelous and do well to reflect the peculiar spirit of the book.
If I haven’t already made this apparent, I adore this strangely enchanting book. I know it will delight those who enjoy stories that possess a bit of grit alongside a wealth of creativity, deviating from the Disney-esque norm of modern fables. The world of Fat & Bones is sure to entrap many a fascinated (and slightly petrified) reader to come.
