Book Review: Did ‘Thistlefoot’ Live up to all the Baba Yaga Folktales we Already Know?
In all honesty, I’m still trying to decide if I liked this book. Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott is a modern dark fairytale steeped in myth and magical realism. It’s scary at times, and completely bonkers at others (an inherited house with chicken legs?!). This is NOT a children’s fairytale book.
Things to know:
Multiple storylines and timelines that switch throughout
Includes some Baba Yaga short stories
Also follow Baba Yaga’s descendents in modern day with a magical realism twist
“If a story does its job, it doesn't ever end. Not really. But it can change. This is the nature of folktales. They shift to fit each teller. Take whatever form suits the bearer best. What begins as a story of sorrow can be acknowledged, held like a sweetheart to the chest, rocked and sung to. And then it can be set down to sleep. It can become an offering. A lantern. An ember to lead you through the dark.”
This story follows the descendents of Baba Yaga, a brother and sister, who couldn’t be more different from each other. Isaac is a drifter and grifter, and one of the most unlikable characters I’ve read in a while. Bellatine was a bright spot in this story, and one of the only characters I actually liked. The other character I enjoyed? The house itself. Yes, the house with chicken legs talks to us, the readers, completely breaking the fourth wall on occasion.
Told in a series of vignettes, you switch between Isaac and Bellatine’s journey in modern day, when they inherit the house, and the Longshadow Man, an extremely sinister character creating havoc in his wake. His goal? To destroy the house and anything associated with it. His chapters are sort of like him–wisps of moving smoke that don’t have a lot of substance. Then we have the sentient house chapters where retellings of different Baba Yaga folktales are told. It was a LOT to take in and sift through. And a lot of different timelines. Plus, there’s this element of magical realism thrown in. Statues coming to life, puppet shows, and more.
I will admit, there is some beautiful prose in this book and quotes I found myself stopping to take note of. But did the story grip me? Not really. It was completely unhinged…on purpose. And most of the characters were very unlikable. It was a meandering story that really didn’t make me care about the characters.
“What happens when the walls we raise outlive the dangers they were built to keep out? At what point does a fort become a cage?”
Overall, if you’re a fan of dark folktales or meandering slow stories, you might like this. I won’t be rereading.
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