Hansel and Gretel by Stephen King

Welcome to this unofficial meeting of our book club, Reading in Public.

We will start by reciting the Reader's Oath: I shall not poo poo on someone else's joy. The speed at which I read does not reflect my intelligence or character. It is simply a sign of my available time and overall exhaustion. I will DNF without mercy and tell everyone to read that one book no one else likes (because it was my favorite).

How This Book Came To Me

This was 100% an impulse buy on Amazon. It was on my homepage when I logged in. Hansel and Gretel was one of my favorite stories when I was little, and I keep meaning to read more Stephen King. Boom, boom, and click. I preordered the book, and it arrived long after I had forgotten about it.

You Know The Story

My earliest memory of Hansel and Gretel is my mom reading it to me from a green, hardback collection of fairy tales and children's stories.

But, my first memory is of the 1954 stop-motion Hansel and Gretel opera.

This one-hour and fifteen-minute VHS tape played regularly in our living room when I was little. I was terrified and fascinated by the puppets, singing and story. I watched it again after reading this book. I am still terrified. No longer fascinated.

While there are multiple version of this story, it generally breaks down like so:

Due to poverty and famine, Hansel and Gretel's parents take them to the woods, and leave them to either survive on their own or die. The children find a house made of gingerbread and treats which is inhabited by a cannibalistic witch. The witch tries to fatten Hansel up to eat while using Gretel as her maid. Gretel outsmarts the witch, and pushes her into an oven. The children fill their pockets with treasures, and make their way home to an apologetic father. Happily ever after ensues.

I just reread that for accuracy, and I can't believe that's a children's story...

How Was My Reading Experience

Things changed for me when I hit my mid 30s. I'm in my 40s now, and I can confirm those changes have taken! I don't have the stomach for scary things, and unnecessary suffering in art (and reality) are increasingly difficult to sit through.

I can't believe this was one of my favorite stories when I was little! I'm a grown woman, and reading this made me sad and scared, and the happily-ever-after moment at the end did nothing for me.

I was uncomfortable and sad the entire time I read this book, so Stephen King did his job. It made me so uncomfortable that I am almost certain that I will never read it again, but I still liked it.

What can I say? People, especially readers, are complicated.

As I've gotten older, I've become very sensitive to, well, everything. Art has always moved me deeply, and even more so in this stage of my life. I put down scary stories for lighthearted scifi, non-fiction, and the occasional cozy mystery.

While this short children's book reminded me of why I put down scary books, it also reminded me how good storytelling is making the reader empathize, and in the case of children's books, making the adult reader remember their childhood mind.

Reading in Public

In this section, I share some of the notes taken whilst reading. These are notes I wrote to myself, so they are quick thoughts and feelings about the story that may not make a lot of sense. Beware: there may be spoilers.

• Man, stepmothers get the raw end of the deal in fairy tales.
• Their dad sucks. It's time to call social services.
• This is a dark, dark book.
• Stephen, you did your job. I am completely uncomfortable and will nightmares about baked goods. Good on you.