Title: You Wandered Off Like a Foolish Child to Break Your Heart and Mine
Author: Pat York
In: Silver Birch, Blood Moon (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Fairy tales, Retellings
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Short story
Year: 1999
This is a great follow on short story from The Wild Heart. In The Wild Heart, the thorns and dangers of Sleeping Beauty were seen from another point of view. But in York’s short story, all of those who tried (and failed) to reach the princess are focused upon. Honestly, this story was a great way to continue this feeling of reimagining. And it hit me from the very first word.
You Wandered Off Like a Foolish Child to Break Your Heart and Mine is a dark story from the very first sentence. It shows those who seriously lost out in the original fairy tale. I mean, ultimately, the princess is freed and there’s a “happily ever after”. But at what cost? Not everyone is a winner and for every story, there is a losing side. Sometimes those losers are actually kind of innocent and it’s a little bit sad.
Yet, with all of the darkness and heartbreak within this story, for me, this story is about a mother’s love for her son. What she’ll give up to try and care for her child, even when he is ungrateful and kind of annoying. Even when all of her efforts are in vain, there is no doubt of this mother’s love for her child.
Earth and Skye 