Pan's Labyrinth

by Guillermo del Toro and Cornelia Funke

[HekArtemis]

Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC of Pan's Labyrinth.

I saw the movie around the time it was released, but really only remember it a tiny bit - the mandrake is one thing I remember, and the feeling of darkness, the creepiness. So I can't really compare the book to the movie, but I assume it's practically identical given del Toro was the creator of both movie and book. I also guess the book has more insight into the minds of the characters than the movie.

The book really did capture the atmospheric creepiness and darkness that I remember the movie having, which is great especially considering the book is essentially just a fairytale book. It reads like a fairytale, an anthology of fairytales that wrap around one larger tale winding through the entire book. It does not feel at all childish or anything though, to be clear. This is a dark book, and while I would consider reading it to or with my kids, I wouldn't consider it middle grade by any means. Just google some of the imagery from the movie, consider the book has a line about a man being aroused while killing a woman... yeah it is not made for kids, even if it can be adapted for them.

Ofelia herself reads a bit odd to me, I couldn't help but wonder a few times if this was really one of those stories happening in the characters head but not for real - kind of a Sucker Punch situation (and it does have the same atmospheric feel to it as Sucker Punch). Her reactions seem a touch off, a little away from reality - like sure she is a naive kid who likes fairies and stuff, but she probably should've freaked out a little bit more from some of her encounters than she actually did. I think even my 3 year old would have more emotional reactions to everything that Ofelia went through than Ofelia did. Still, I think in the end it just comes down to Ofelia actually being out of touch with everything, probably as a method of survival and dealing with the loss of her father and the marriage of her mother.

Carmen, oh Carmen, why? I do understand the position she was in, but at the same time, it's not entirely about what she needs to do is it? She in many ways has betrayed her daughter in pursuit of her own happiness, in pursuit of a fairytale of her own. Maddening.

I loved the focus on Mercedes, she was a wonderful character and I really appreciated her. How much internal and external conflict she had to deal with, the things she had to deal with, the things she knew were likely to happen to her no matter what she did. Her position was super dangerous, no matter what choices she made, and her feelings of betrayal and self-disgust really rang true - even if no one could really blame her for what she did. Her perspectives on the place of women in the story, her understanding of why the kitchen women and maids were as they were, she knows what's what.

I really did enjoy this book, it was perfectly dark and atmospheric which I have been in the mood for this year. It had interesting world building, fascinating characters even when they didn't make sense or were thoroughly infuriating. I particularly enjoyed the way the smaller fairytales were weaved throughout the book, tying into the main story in a multitude of ways. I plan to take a look at Cornelia Funk's other works, though I realise they are not exactly the same genre-wise, I liked the writing in this book so want to see more.