"The True Story of Hansel and Gretel" by Louise Murphy

We've all read the story about Hansel and Gretel as children. I, for one, was terrified by it. Mean stepmothers, dark forests, witches with massive ovens that want to cook and eat children?! Perhaps it is fitting, then, that Louise Murphy puts a clever spin on this fairy tale, and weaves it into a fictional and terrifying account of the survival of two Jewish children during the Holocaust.

A 10-year-old girl and her 7 year-old brother, named "Hansel" and "Gretel" by their father and stepmother to disguise their Jewish heritage, are encouraged to run and hide in the ancient, primeval forests of Eastern Poland to escape capture by the Nazis. They happen upon an old "witch", or healer, with a Gypsy background, named Magda. Putting herself and her entire village at risk, Magda takes in the children, feeds them, and acquires Christian identification for them. A very tense, fine line must be walked in their interaction with the nearby village Piaski, which is governed by a small but ruthless German group led by a Major Frankel and the psychologically twisted Oberfuhrer.

The village Piaski is a perfect microcosm of Europe in the middle of WWII. Many of the villagers only want anonymity, but some are angry and preparing to uprise, storing away weapons and waiting for the opportunity. Some do their best to get in the Germans' good graces for favor. Most are starving. Major Frankel is a defeated man that started out a soldier's soldier, who has become ensnared in the dehumanization of the Polish people and the Jews. His superior, the Oberfuhrer, on the other hand, is what one would consider the epitome of Nazi ism and evil. He is one sick and twisted human being, and enjoys inflicting pain on others. This is not a happy or comfortable place to live.

At the same time, the children's father and strong, independent stepmother join a rogue band of Russians whose solitary mission in life is to seek revenge upon the Germans for all that has been taken from them, and eventually join forces with the Russian army that will collide with the German army in Poland. Neither the children nor the parents know of each other's well-being, nor do they know if they will ever see each other again.

While I generally prefer to read actual memoirs on the Holocaust (why make it up when reality is vivid enough?), this was an engaging and nerve-wracking read. While lyrical and poetic at times, Murphy does not hold back the horrors of the Holocaust from her story. In one instance, the Oberfuhrer systematically starts selecting the "perfect" Polish children with Aryan qualities, with the intent of sending them to be fostered in Germany to strengthen the Aryan race. The townspeople learn of the plan, and begin physically maiming their own children to prevent them from being selected. As a parent, this is a devastating scenario, but understandable. We see other blood-chilling horrors happen to Hansel and Gretel. Things that made me put the book down and walk away. On the other hand, there are strands of hope and redemption sewn throughout the story. The feminist in me was intrigued and excited that Murphy purposefully redeemed the "witch" and the "stepmother" by making them powerful, positive figures, versus the stereotypes we see in all of our childhood fables. I was just a bit disappointed with the ultimate integration of the fairy tale and the story told on these pages. It felt to me like an original and clever seed of an idea that got lost in a bigger story. Either way, the story is a worthwhile investment of your time.