Bibliography: Lo, Malinda. (2009).  Ash. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.  ISBN:  9780316040099

Plot Summary:  Having lost first her mother and and then her father to a mysterious illness, broken-hearted Ash is forced to do her stepmother’s bidding, but longs to return to the woods near her family home and dreams of being captured by and riding with the fairies.  When she meets Kaisa, things start to change, but is it too late to break her pact with the fairy Sidhean?

Critical Analysis:  This lush and dark retelling of the Cinderella story is unique because while it has some of the bones of the original tale, it is not a literal retelling of the story.  Lo has added depth and layers to Ash and her world, and the story becomes something else altogether:  first a tale of grief and bereavement where Ash wonders if she has the strength to continue on.  She feels like she doesn’t , which is where the hope of being captured by fairies comes in–if she is going to be miserable, why not at least be in a place and with beings that she longs for.

But when she meets someone, her world changes.  She has something and someone to stay for, to live for,  a life outside of her stepmother’s reach and love she thought was lost. It is to Lo’s credit that she shows that not just romance, but love can take many shapes and sizes, that everyone is worthy and deserving.  I like that in Ash’s world this isn’t such an odd idea, it just is.

I really enjoyed the fey parts of this story.  The volume of fairy tales that Ash clung to, the village woman who knows the old ways but is pushed aside by doctors, the tales told around the table, and most of all, Sidhean.  I liked that Lo made him multi-dimensional, with just a few scenes and actions, the reader realizes that he must have had a past with Ash’s mother, and while he wants Ash for himself, he keeps sending her back to her world.

The style and tone of the writing add to lushness and often darkness of the story, and I can see and feel the forest, the chill, the cold.  I can also see the hunt, the huntress, the festival and the ball in detail in my mind’s eye.  A fully dimensional world that I can only hope Lo plans to revisit.

Connections: This would be a great addition to a unit or study on the many variations of the Cinderella story in picture books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, and even a few adult novels.  There is a partial list on wikipedia but there are many more out there.

Review Excerpts:  “This debut, a retelling of Cinderella in which the heroine falls in love with a beautiful huntress rather than a prince, should establish Lo as a gifted storyteller…Lo offers an important twist on a classic story that will appeal to a wide readership, especially those looking for a girl romance.”–Publisher’s Weekly

“An unexpected reimagining of the Cinderella tale, exquisite and pristine, unfolding deliberately…Beautiful language magically wrought; beautiful storytelling magically told.”–Kirkus Reviews