Ever since she was a child, Rebecca has been enchanted by her grandmother Gemma's stories about Briar Rose. But a promise Rebecca makes to her dying grandmother will lead her on a remarkable journey to uncover the truth of Gemma's astonishing claim: I am Briar Rose. A journey that will lead her to unspeakable brutality and horror. But also to redemption and hope.

A stunning and unforgettable novel by master storyteller Jane Yolen - from the highly acclaimed "Fairy Tale" series created by Terri Windling.

 

 
This book was chosen by the Book Break group as our selection from the fantasy genre. As soon as it was suggested I realised I'd heard about it before, several years ago and at the time of its release I really wanted to read it. Of course, I promptly forgot the title of the book, but not the concept. When it was picked for the book of the month I was delighted, but disappointed that Amazon would take two weeks to deliver it.

 

 
February 21st
The End

The book arrived yesterday morning, but as I was having to spend the day updating the Book Break website I had to put it aside until I was finished. That meant that it took till today to break the spine, and once I did I couldn't put it down.

Ok, so much to say about this book, and most of it very personal and emotional so this review will probably ramble endlessly. The story revolves around Becca, a 23 year old journalist whose grandmother is at death's door. Gemma, whose entire past is swathed in shadow, has told the story of Briar Rose, or Sleeping Beauty, to her grandchildren their whole life, but the story she tells differs from the traditional version in many ways. Gemma is convinced that she is Briar Rose and after being her closest confidant and constant companion since childhood Becca, on Gemma's deathbed, makes a promise to find out the truth behind the story.

I found this story moving for two reasons. The first, and the reason I was interested in reading the story was that my grandpa escaped Poland during the Second World War. He was a Polish pilot, and as such was considered dangerous to the invading German army. Pilots were forced to go undercover and pretend they couldn't fly or be sent to the various concentration and extermination camps, along with their families. My grandpa didn't stop flying and my dad even has the propeller of a plane he crashed down in, which will one day be mine. Against all the odds grandpa managed to get out of Poland, but many of his family were not so fortunate and perished in the Holocaust. If not for an incredible stroke of chance and extreme luck I would not be here today.

The second reason this story struck home was the relationship between Becca and her grandmother. At Xmas mum bought me a book, The Summer Book by Tove Janssen, because she hoped it would remind me of the amazing connection I had with my Nana. That book didn't nearly come close, but this book...this captured so much of the affection between us. My Nana was a writer, and would tell me stories, some of her own creation and others tales about her life. I'd hang on her every word, and couldn't hear enough. When I was young I especially loved hearing about my mum when she was a child, and all the things she got up to. So Becca and Gemma hit a real nerve. What also spoke to me was that after my Nana died, when I was 16, I inherited many of her personal papers, photographs and letters. As Becca learned about Gemma through the belongings she held dear, I learned about my Nana 14 years ago. As an adult I know her in a whole other way through the things she left behind, coupled with the stories she told me which all fit together now and reveal a truly wonderful woman who influenced me in so many fundamental ways. I only wish I'd been able to tell her how much she meant to me, but I suspect she had an inkling.

I really loved this book, it was so skilfully woven together, cutting between Becca's modern day discoveries and and her re-emerging memories of her Grandmother's story slotting details into place. Jane Yolen walked a very fine line, this book could have been over sentimental or worse, gratuitously ghoulish, but she managed to delve deeply into one of the darkest periods of human history with compassion and insight. It would have been incredibly easy for her to send Becca to Poland and find a sleepy, peaceful village that had long since forgotten the horrors of fifty years ago, but Yolen confronted the issue of the extermination camps being within living memory of older inhabitants, who had either been involved in the atrocities or who stood idly by.

Spinning the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty using Gemma's experience was an artful move. It echoed the original idea of fairy tales, telling stories that were too horrific of frightening in a way that made them accessible and appealing, and most of all preserving hope. Human history has been passed on through parables and metaphors, using stories as vehicles to pass on key elements and Jane Yolen preserves that tradition so well in this book. Maybe in a few hundred years we will be telling a similar tale to children to teach them about the Nazi horrors.

There is no getting away from the horrific and disturbing past Becca uncovers, but underneath the desolation and corruption of humanity a thread of hope remains intact. That no matter how terrible life becomes love and friendship help us survive. It may not be possible to conquer the deepest demons that haunt us, but we can continue to fight them and not allow them to beat us.

I can't recommend this book highly enough, though the subject matter isn't easy to read. Jane Yolen's skill as a writer gives the whole book a mythical, dreamlike quality that is impossible to become enchanted with, and her characters are interesting and courageous. And, as in every fairy story, there are two ugly sisters bickering in the background to lighten the mood. I'm so glad I finally got to read this novel, and will be looking out for other Yolen book in the future, along with others in the fairy tale series.