I was over the moon when I heard I got the chance to read an early copy of Jennifer Donnelly’s latest book and fairytale retelling, Poisoned. I fell in love with her strong depiction and twist on Cinderella in Stepsister and I couldn’t wait to dive in to her next fairytale novel centred around Snow White. On top of everything else, I was able to interview Donnelly and get insight into her love of fairytales and more!
Hi Jennifer! Can you tell us a bit about your latest novel, Poisoned, set to release October 20th?
Poisoned is a retelling of Snow White – but in my version, the huntsman does exactly as the evil queen commands and cuts out the princess’s heart. This brutal act destroys him, but does it destroy the princess? Hmm, to not give too much away, I’ll just say that there are seven strangers in the forest with some pretty powerful magic who might take an interest in a poor, scared girl with a missing heart.
The idea of a lost heart, and the way the world often makes us feel as if our own hearts have been cut out, is a central theme in the story. I wanted to know why the queen gave that order. What happened to her to make her so cruel? What was driving her? Was it vanity, as the old tale tells us…or something darker?
What’s your favorite genre to read? And write?
For me, it’s really not about genre; it’s all about voice. I’ll read anything if that strong, beguiling voice is there. I’ll follow the author wherever she wants to go. I always know in the first few sentences if it is there, and I absolutely love falling under its spell.
What is your favorite fairytale and why? What made you want to write fairytale retellings? Do the stories hold a significance to you?
That is such a hard question! The Brothers Grimm are my favorite storytellers, but I don’t think I could ever pick just one favorite tale. I love Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, but I also love some lesser-known ones like The Fisherman and His Wife, The Companionship of the Cat and the Mouse, and The Little Mouse, the Little Bird and the Sausage that are quirky, ridiculous and darkly funny.
One of the biggest reasons I want to retell fairytales is that I have – I’ve always had – so many unanswered questions! Were the stepsister really ugly? Who said? And why do we believe them? Did the evil queen really ask her mirror “Who’s the fairest of them all?” or did she have a more important question to ask it? Why did the witch lock Rapunzel away? I need the answers. So I’m writing them.
With so many books about Snow White having been published before Poisoned, how did you make your spin on it different? Was it a challenge?
Honestly, I didn’t know there were so many! Clearly, I’m not as well read as I should be. The thing is, there could be a million other retellings, but each one would reflect its author – her unique perspective, her voice, her engagement with the characters, her years-long relationship with the story – and each one would be very different.
I don’t know that I made a conscious effort to put my spin on the classic tale; the story just unfurled. The need to write it came from many places. One of them was a plea for kindness that came from my main character, Sophie – the Snow White of my story. Sophie is kind and gentle, very good-hearted – but these qualities are not valued at her stepmother’s court—far from it. I wanted to understand how people defeat cruelty, how they face down ruthlessness. Sophie showed me that it isn’t done with more cruelty, with hateful behavior, or with violence; it’s done with kindness.
I know you write books in multiple genres like YA and historical fiction, have you ever thought of expanding to other genres? And with it being the spooky season, we have to ask, would you tackle horror?
I write historical fiction and fantasy for adults, young adults and middle graders, and I love moving between age groups and genres. It keeps things interesting. I don’t only read one genre and wouldn’t want to be limited to writing only one. I’ve never written a full-on horror novel, but I do incorporate elements of horror into my novels. Poisoned, Stepsister, Lost in a Book, and the Waterfire Saga all contain fantastical horrors like witches, ghosts, and monsters, and I really let my imagination run wild with them, always trying to up the ante and make them super creepy. My historical YA novels – A Northern Light, Revolution and These Shallow Graves – contain a different kind of horror: murder, oppression, rural and urban poverty. These horrors, real and shattering, need no embellishing.
What inspires you and your writing? What was the hardest part to write? Easiest part?
So many things! With The Tea Rose – my first novel – it was Jack the Ripper’s London; the streets of the East End took hold of me and wouldn’t let go. With A Northern Light, it was reading the letters of a nineteen-year-old murder victim. Nineteenth century New York inspired These Shallow Graves, and my lifelong love of the Grimms’ fairy tales inspired Stepsister and Poisoned.
For me, there is no hard or easy part with any of my books. They’re all really hard. Writing is not easy for me. I sometimes feel that I’m fighting for every word. I’m on my fourteenth novel now, so you would think I might know what I’m doing, but no – every new book is challenging in a new way, and the blank page still terrifies me.
What’s next for you? Is there another fairytale book on the horizons, one that can join Stepsister and Poisoned?
There is another fairy tale on the horizon. The idea is very new, and I’m still getting my hands around it, so I can’t talk about it yet, but I’m super excited and can’t wait to share it with readers!
And lastly, do you have any book or author recommendations for us?
I’m currently reading The Night Country by Melissa Albert and Things in Jars by Jess Kidd, and loving them both. I also loved Where the World Ends by Geraldine McLaughlin and A Map to the Sun by Sloane Leong. All very different books, but they have such strong, distinctive voices in common. Can’t wait to get my hands on Piranesi by Susannah Clarke, and Jack by Marilynne Robinson.
