A fairy tale such as Hansel and Gretel—with its cannibal witch trapping two young children and preparing to cook them for dinner—reminds us of the perennial vulnerability of children to predatory adults. Layer on top of that the animal fear of being eaten. Or Jung’s archetype of the devouring mother. Pick your poisoned apple.
Pulitzer-nominated author Charles McNair, hailed by the late Ray Bradbury as “a genetic original”, doffs his cap to the Brothers Grimm in the opening chapter of The Epicureans. One of the characters jokingly references Hansel and Gretel by name. In German, no less. A wink to the reader but also a deft bit of folk-tale homage.
The anticipated new novel from McNair has been praised by Esquire’s Tom Junod as “a Grimm’s fairy tale for the age of income inequality.” You can pre-order a copy here, available in digital, hardcover and deluxe editions.