Among the Thorns

I know I shouldn't be surprised anymore at how awful humans can be, but I'm just flabbergasted that there's a Grimm fairy tale where the protagonist tortures, robs, and procures the execution of a Jewish man.

At least this tale does a wonderful job of upending that story, telling it from the point of view of the Jewish man's daughter. This short story does a great job of establishing a feel for the time and place while also making the characters completely relatable. The way Itte's mother carefully weighs every decision to avoid the ire of Christians is heartbreaking, but we also see how the family goes about their daily lives in a pretty normal way. Of course, it only takes a single incident to destroy that normal life.

Itte's revenge is perfectly drawn, and ultimately echoes her mother's attempts at balance. It also sadly brings home how far we still have to go before that Grimm fairytale is only a curious artifact of our bigoted past.