Cinderella is dead by Kalynn Bayron
Bloomsbury, 2020. ISBN: 9781526621979.
Cinderella is dead by Kalynn Bayron is a fairy-tale
rewriting with an evil Prince, beautiful descendants of ugly
stepsisters, and a protagonist that is as unlike Cinderella as you
can get. The story is based several hundred years after Cinderella's
death, in which Cinderella has become legend, and every girl in the
kingdom tries to recreate her fairy-tale - literally. Once of age,
every girl in the kingdom attends a ball to find a suitor. Upon
attending three balls without being chosen, girls are never seen
again. That is - if women are unable to live their lives to the
standard of a perfect princess, they are deemed unworthy. The
obsession surrounding a princess who died centuries ago is as
haunting as it is intriguing, and the Cinderella tale is told
multiple times throughout the novel, the focus and facts shifting
and changing. This doesn't just leave the reader with the question,
'what really happened to Cinderella?', but also, 'why does this
fairy-tale matter so much?'
This re-working of Cinderella throughout demonstrates the impact of
fairytales on collective conscience, particularly the impact of
those left out of fairytales, such as queer women, women of colour,
or both, as in the case of the protagonist. Bayron's passion on this
topic shines through the book.
While occasionally, characters fall into archetypes, more often,
these archetypes are broken. The Fairy Godmother, in particular, is
intriguing, and Sophia's passion in creating a better world is
perfect to fuel the story. The relationships within the story,
whether they be platonic, familial, or romantic, were another
driving force. Sophia's relationship with Candance is at times
hesitant, and at times ardent, perfectly encapsulating queer
relationships in a world in which this is not the norm. The
#OwnVoices element of Sophia's character makes her experiences
realistic and authentic, in the best ways possible.
Ultimately, Cinderella is dead is definitely one of the most
successful debuts of 2020 so far. While it's not perfect, it's
fast-paced, action packed, and passionate. Bayron creates a world
that is both horrific, and horrifically similar to our own. It is
the hope that the characters cling onto throughout the entirety of
the novel, the hope that things will change, because they must, that
makes this novel so powerful.
Sara Peak (Student)