Short Story Spotlight: "Snow, Glass, Apples" by Neil Gaiman

I'll tell you up front that "Snow, Glass, Apples" is the only thing by Neil Gaiman that I have ever read (shame on me). I actually read it a while ago and never posted anything about it. When the short story I read for this month's post left me completely cold, I found myself thinking of this creepy little story again, and decided it was more deserving of mention than the book I read.

"Snow, Glass, Apples" is a retelling of Snow White from the "evil" queen's point of view. For some reason, the princess holds a strange fixation for people, particularly for men, but her young stepmother sees beyond the princess's strange allure to a lurking darkness within.

I know that I will enjoy Gaiman's other works just from the beauty of the language he uses in "Snow, Glass, Apples." The words evoke images that are descriptive not in the sugary, sentimental way but with a sharp, diamond-cut cleanness. The story is not beautiful and romantic like a traditional fairy tale; it is disturbing but poignant, and the images do not fade quickly.

The creativity of the story is also powerful. I don't want to give away the crux of it, what Snow White really is, because figuring that out was part of the fun of reading the story, but I will say that I was amazed by how Neil Gaiman took the elements of the fairy tale and twisted them neatly so that they told a completely different story without being corrupted at all.

Don't read this story when you are alone at night -- it is very creepy. Also bear in mind that with that creepiness, there are some mature themes in the story. However, it is a brilliant and well-written retelling of Snow White, and one that is worth reading.