Blending families after a remarriage is always difficult and Eunice is right to be worried when her new stepfather and stepsister arrive at the beginning of the harrowing new novel from W.R. Gorman, We Kept Her in the Cellar. Eunice doesn’t just have to worry about her mother’s attention being split three ways instead of just two or differing disciplinary styles because it turns out that her sister, Cinderella, really is a monster.
Shortly after the new family members arrive, Cinderella bites Eunice’s younger sister, Hortense, before anyone can say a word. Eunice’s stepfather whisks his offspring away to a cellar room with metal doors that has been specially prepared to house Cinderella. Over the next few days, Eunice learns the rules: Eunice must believe that Cinderella is her sister, otherwise, Cinderella will eat her; Cinderella must be kept occupied with busy work; Cinderella must never have access to mice or rats; and, under no circumstances, is anyone to be alone with Cinderella between midnight and three o’clock in the morning. Eunice hardly needs any more proof of how dangerous her new sister is when Hortense’s wound refuses to heal.
The plot of We Kept Her in the Cellar really begins to race after events jump ahead some seven years. Cinderella and Eunice would be old enough to make their debut among the aristocracy if it weren’t so dangerous for anyone to find out about Cinderella…except, that’s exactly what happens. Before Eunice can catch her metaphorical breath, a prince shows up and invitations for a ball arrive. A monstrous version of Cinderella’s helpers turn up to break her out of her cellar room and take her to the ball. And Cinderella’s stories of being kept in a stone cellar and made to do menial tasks, fed on rotting food, only help her worm her way into the palace.
I was delighted by the way that Gorman was able to take elements from the original Cinderella story and twist them into this tale. The color of the glass slippers hints at the way Cinderella relishes in rot and decay. Her beauty is a skin-deep cover for an eldritch shapeshifter. Gorman really flipped that fairy tale on its head. Readers who enjoy horrific, imaginative retellings of classic novels will find a lot to enjoy in this book. (The only reason I didn’t rate this book higher is because there are some jarring word choices and occasionally juvenile dialogue.)
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.