“I had affectionately named my myriad pills after some of the seven dwarfs. Each one corresponded to the effect it had on my mood. Sleepy made me sleepy; Grumpy, etc. One by one, they all came to represent— even Sneezy.”
We have all heard the fairy tale of Snow White, but this one is not the traditional happy ending and includes a lot more violence and blood. Snow lives in a mental institution and has since she tried to walk through a mirror at five-years-old. She even has the scars to prove it. Now the only life she has ever known is from interactions with her “white coat,” or individual care-taker, and the other residents in the facility. She has a special relationship with Bale, who landed himself in the facility for setting his house on fire. As the story unfolds this obsession with fire will have a direct contrast to Snow.
Snow is also an amazing artist and avid dreamer. Snow sketches about these dreams and comes to find some similarities and reoccurences. One specific incident turns out to not be a dream, but a reality, and she follows through with what she has only dreamed about in the past. This leads Snow to theTree and to finally learning about her true identity. What ensues is an epic adventure of self-discovery, finding true love, friendship, and family.
I found this to be a fast-paced read and engaging enough that I wanted to know where Paige took this interpretation of the fairy tale. I was not disappointed, but did have some Frozen-esque moments.
For more fairy tale retellings, see this infographic here or here.