from The Impossible Fairytale
— Andrew Sargus Klein
It might be confirmation bias, but I swear I’m seeing more writers deconstruct fairy tales, myths, and archetypal narratives. It’s not a new practice by any means, but it’s no less vital an avenue for storytelling and exploration. This excerpt from Han Yujoo’s novel, The Impossible Fairytale, reads like a perfectly tied-off short story. The work slowly, methodically (almost painstakingly) follows a dog in a river. We don’t know if the dog is trapped or is simply swimming, but there’s tension nonetheless. By pulling at the ribs of a simple plot, Yujoo creates an enormous amount of space for the reader to fill in their own emotional narrative, their own allegorical or metaphorical arc. There are one or two moments where a lyrical magic breaks the surface
Perhaps the weight of the collar will cause the dog to sink to the bottom of the river. Therefore the cameras standing by across the river will also have to sink. Therefore the dog’s name and the dog’s language will also sink.
which deepen the implications of the piece, and your own journey inside of it. I can’t wait to pick up this book and see where I go with it.