In this darkly evocative retelling, master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns to the original grim roots of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Set against a backdrop of war and famine, a woodcutter and his wife, convinced that two dead are better than four, make the desperate decision to abandon their children, Hansel and Gretel, in a vast and unforgiving forest. The siblings’ first attempt to find their way home, using a trail of white stones, is successful, but their relief is short-lived. During a second, crueler abandonment, the birds eat the breadcrumb trail Hansel leaves, leaving the children hopelessly lost.
Wandering deeper into the woods, they stumble upon a miraculous house made of gingerbread. Its occupant, a seemingly kind old woman, soon reveals her true nature, imprisoning Hansel in a cage with the intention of fattening him to be eaten, and forcing Gretel into servitude. Gaiman’s prose is clear and succinct, yet he does not shy away from the story’s inherent horror, capturing both the parents’ chilling pragmatism and the witch’s casual cruelty.
The narrative is powerfully amplified by the exquisite and terrifying India ink illustrations of renowned Italian artist Lorenzo Mattotti. His full-spread, black-and-white artwork is a masterclass in shadow and light, using sweeping, ominous brushstrokes to create a world where the forest itself is a menacing character and the children are but tiny silhouettes against its immensity. The book’s structure alternates between pages of text and double-page illustrations, creating a striking and dramatic rhythm that allows Mattotti’s chilling visuals to fully sink in. The result is a genuinely frightening and visually stunning collaboration that feels both timeless and freshly imagined, a perfectly frightful treat that lingers long after the final page is turned. An author’s note on the history of the tale provides additional context for this haunting version.
