Gretel in The Dark by Eliza Granville.

The mysterious fairytale based novel set across two different centuries.

Hamish Hamilton, Feb 2014.

Gretel in the Dark focuses on two time zones – 1899 in Vienna with Dr Josef Breuer and then years later in Germany around World War II which is where we are introduced to Krysta.

Dr Breuer has a new patient who brings mystery. Found in the middle of the night and brought to his home, the girl has no name and claims to not even be human and that she is there to kill the monster.

Krysta is a young girl who is sheltered by her father, (he works in the infirmary with the ‘animal people.’) She spends her days listening to the fairy stories made up by Greet, the house servant. Tragedy then strikes and Krysta is forced into a concentration camp.  

The idea of this book intrigued me from the moment I read the synopsis and when I started reading, I couldn’t stop or put it down (even when I was meant to be sleeping before a night shift.) There were maybe a couple of slow sections where I didn’t quite know how it was tying in with the rest of the story but even then I couldn’t stop reading. It’s fairy tales mixed in with real life and I loved that.

The story was so atmospheric and it set such a vivid scene. I began with preferring the 1899 side of the plot. To start with, I found Krysta slightly annoying but as I continued reading, I learnt more about Krysta and I felt sorry for her as I gained more understanding of the character.

There were plot twists and turns, larger than life characters and some truly heart-breaking moments as I made my way through. I was trying to work out what was going on and what the connection was between the two eras and characters.

I didn’t see the end coming and felt emotional once I had got to the end and even though I finished it a couple of days ago, I am still thinking about it. If you like fairy tales and fantasy then I recommend this book.

by

Laura

I'm Laura. I started Novel Kicks back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape.
There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone.
I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha.
I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then.
When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.