THE SECRET OF THE TATTERED SHOES

A war-weary soldier uncovers the treachery of royals in this retelling of a Grimms’ fairy tale.

A soldier wanders the land, heavy-hearted from “all that he had seen and much that he had done, in the name of the king.” In the forest, he meets a vibrant woman and confesses that he has no will to live. The woman takes his hand and tells him of the mystery of the princesses and the tattered shoes. Whoever discovers why the king’s daughters are weary every morning, with worn shoes under their beds, will be rewarded with the choice of a bride from among them and ultimately the throne. Whoever tries and fails will be punished by death. With the woman’s guidance and assistance, the soldier discovers the secret of the princesses, their lovers, and their all-night parties—but he refuses the reward, thoroughly fed up with the lives of rulers. He sets off to find the woman in the forest who was good to him. The story is fluid and haunting, retaining the grim themes and archaic social mores of traditional fairy tales as well as their strangely intriguing, mysterious, and fantastical qualities. Abdollahi’s stylized illustrations use texture and line with a dark color scheme and figures whose aesthetic mirrors that of marionettes. The 12 beautiful princesses have a variety of skin tones and hair colors, and both protagonist and the woman who helps him have brown skin.

An interesting addition to the shelf for fairy-tale enthusiasts.