Louise Murphy

Louise Murphy guides her characters through a forest of war, horror and darkness as they leave a proverbial trail of identity breadcrumbs across a vast expanse of human suffering. The holocaust in Poland becomes the backdrop of the classic Grimm fairy tale very well. Murphy puts an incredibly devastating spin on things by placing a Jewish man and woman in a terrible situation where they must abandon their young son and daughter in the woods to save them from the German soldiers pursuing show more them. In an effort to keep their Jewish identity hidden they give them the, indisputably German, names, Hansel and Gretel. They are then taken in by an old woman living alone on the outskirts of a Nazi occupied village, who, in a heartwarming twist on the original, becomes their protector instead of captor.

This book was equal parts heart-warming and heart wrenching. Its portrayal of the holocaust and life under Nazi occupation was exceptional. The interwoven story of the holocaust with the classic Grimm fairy tale is almost seamless. The story itself only draws on the fairy tale for it’s major story markers (events) and characters. Those story markers are usually re-imagined to fit the narrative but generally reflect the event from the fairy tale. However, this story is so much more then a re-imagined fairy tale, it is historical fiction in its finest form. The depiction of the life in Eastern Europe under Nazi occupation was obviously well researched by the author. Murphy also seems to use this research to inform the characters she creates. The presence of people of many different nationalities in the story is a wonderfully honest and accurate depiction of the population displacement that took place as a result of the German army’s disastrous and genocidal offensive to the east. Another strength of this book is that it provides internal perspectives for multiple characters. The presence of multiple internal perspectives creates a more accurate portrayal of the reality of the war in the east because it shows the range of diverse perspectives on both sides. Understanding that anti-Semitism was not just a view held by Nazi’s, or that German soldiers were not all believers in, or even enforcers of, Nazi ideology, might help to push back against binary narratives of the conflict. Challenging assumptions and stereotypes related to the Second World War is essential for young readers and learners because the Second World War is a popular subject for a wide variety of teens and young people.

Ultimately, this is a good YA book because it is engaging yet challenging. It challenges binary narratives about the war because it creates a very strong sense of the complexity in regards to the different decisions and desires of the various characters. The presence of so many different, and rapidly alternating, perspectives is challenging because it forces the reader to switch gears very quickly and think about a certain situation differently. It is also worth mentioning that Murphy takes the reader into the mind of an SS Officer with some beliefs and habits that may be quite challenging for younger readers to understand. To a younger teen he might come across as completely insane and over the top. The challenge of this character is realizing that he represents a belief system that is very real and still alive today. While teens might not completely identify with young Hansel and Gretel, their lack of understanding about the situation they are in might create a strong sense of dramatic irony in the mind of the reader, which is also a major drawing factor of the book. Murphy adeptly uses the reader’s prior knowledge of the Hansel and Gretel tale to draw the reader in. This creates a sense of dread and anxiety throughout the story. The subject matter of “The True Story of Hansel and Gretel” is not easy, but the skillfully crafted characters and exceptional writing make it well worth the effort. show less

KIRKUS REVIEWA classic fairy tale is darkly reimagined in this brutally explicit Holocaust story by poet and second-novelist Murphy (The Sea Within, 1985).The eponymous protagonists are Polish Jews, the preadolescent daughter and seven-year-old son of a fugitive intellectual ironically nicknamed ?the Mechanic,? who survived by servicing German military vehicles. In the late stages of the war, the Mechanic and his second wife ?rename? his children and send them into a forest, hoping they can show more elude both Nazi pursuers and advancing Russian troops. The children are taken in by an aged ?witch,? Magda, and reluctantly sheltered by the embattled residents of a nearby Polish village. At first juxtaposing the ordeals of the children and their father, Murphy gradually expands her novel?s scope, focusing in turn on an unwed pregnant woman (Nelka) and the redoubtable villager (Telek) who loves her; Magda?s brother, a sin-burdened priest who redeems himself by a heroic sacrifice; and German Major Frankel, a suave monster who ?refreshes? himself with the transfused blood of Polish women and orchestrates the inspection of their children for the purposes of ?assimilation into the German people.? Murphy?s crisp prose renders the war?s terrors memorably, and she makes expert use of indigenous folklore and superstition�perhaps expressed most beautifully in ?Gretel?s? declaration to ?Hansel? that stars above them are ?all the Jews that died . . . and went up in the air, and the stars are the stars that they wore on their coats.? Comparisons to Jerzy Kosinski?s The Painted Bird are inevitable, but the relentlessly grim depiction of the children?s perilous odyssey, and especially the stalwart, mordant figure of Magda (whose eventual fate and transfiguration are stunningly described) link it even more closely with Davis Grubb?s Appalachian morality tale The Night of the Hunter. Only an unconvincing hopeful ending and elegiac coda dilute the power of Murphy?s unusually gripping fiction.Lyrical, haunting, unforgettable. show less

"Caught between green earth and blue sky, only truth kept me sane, but now lies disturb my peace. The story has been told over and over by liars and must be retold."

And so begins the rough story of Hansel and Gretel, told by the witch in the woods who saved them. I appreciated the adds to the story that made you see the underlying pieces of the lies - the oven, the food house and others. It added a little light and humor to such a dark story. And this IS a dark story. About two children sent show more out by their father and stepmother as they flee the Nazis.

I loved the old woman and her power and ability to see through everyone. I also really appreciated the second story as we knew what was going on with the dad and stepmother. The story was rough in places and at times, but it's a good story and one I'm glad I read. show less

I absolutely loved this book. This is a retelling of the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel with a Holocaust twist. A Jewish family fleeing the Nazis must make a real-life decision. They stop and drop their children off near a forest and tell them to run into the forest and hide. They are then to make their way through the forest, find a kind farmer who will take them in until they can be reunited again. From the very beginning you get the feeling that the step-mother doesn't like them. However, show more this book is darker than the original fairy-tale because of it's connection to the Holocaust. The children stumble upon a woman the village accuses of being a witch. The love she has for the children is obvious. There were surprises around each corner as you read. Full of tension this book takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride. Will the young active boy give them all away? Will the young girl be able to control him? Even that had a dark and unexpected twist to it. I found myself irritated everytime I was interrupted because I needed to find out how this would turn out. Most of Grimm's Fairy tales didn't have a Disney type happy ending. That is probably why I enjoyed them so much. This author had all the darkness you would expect when reading a story involving the Holocaust yet was just as much about hope. I highly recommend this book. Great for the older teens to adults due to very mature scenes. show less