In the Forest of Forgetting

I came across Theodora Goss' name via TV Tropes. Searching for "Mythpunk", a term coined by Cat Valente (you can see where this is going, can't you?), Goss was mentioned as a good example of mythpunk writers. It's easy to see why I pounced on her books once I'd heard her mentioned in the same breath as my favorite writer and even recommended by her at one point. Pouncing was a good decision, I now have another favorite to add to my list!

IN THE FOREST OF FORGETTING
by Theodora Goss

Published by: Prime Books, 2006
Hardcover: 284 pages
Short story collection
My rating: 9/10

First sentence: This rose has twelve petals.

A collection of sixteen postmodern gothic fairy tales from award-winning author Theodora Goss, first published in 2006 by Prime Books and finally made available as an ebook by Papaveria Press. These stories are a treasure for all of those who are already passionate about Theodora Goss's work, as well as for those who have yet to discover it.

Theodora Goss' first major short story collection showcases such stories as "The Rose in Twelve Petals," "The Rapid Advance of Sorrow," "Lily, With Clouds," "In the Forest of Forgetting," "Sleeping With Bears" and many more. Also includes an introduction by Terri Windling and cover by Virginia Lee.

I should have seen this coming but I am utterly, utterly in love. Theodora Goss is my new writer crush and this collection more than impressed me. I expected mostly fairy tales and mythology played with in interesting ways, and I did get that. But there is so much more to be found here. What struck me most was the stories' readability. Unlike Valente's prose, Goss writes almost as if she were sitting across from you, telling you these stories out loud. I planned to read a story or two per night and that worked for the first two days. After that, I ate up the rest of the collection in one sitting.

The first story, "The Rose in Twelve Petals", does exactly what it says on the tin. It plays with fairy tale tropes but, while enjoyable, didn't surprise or overwhelm me. Except then Goss takes on cancer as a subject, and communism, and racism. Don't think for a second that any of these heavy topics are used like a hammer or for preaching, no, they are gently played with. Goss wraps heavy themes in light words and lets her readers make up their own minds about what it all means. Both "Lily, With Clouds" and "In the Forest of Forgetting" were powerful yet very different stories about cancer, although the first one is much more about ignorant, arrogant sisters with no room for imagination. It's also about art and how it can change a person's life. I adored these stories so, so much.

But then "Miss Emily Gray" came along and completely swept me off my feet. Its teenage protagonist gets a little more than she hoped for - for a long time, you can't be sure if her father's new wife is an evil stepmother, a wicked witch, or a misunderstood lady. But it is a lot of fun finding out. I also think, Goss writes teenagers extremely well.

"Look at Alice, and Ozma. Literature, at least imaginative literature, is ruled by adolescent girls."

Until I let Google enlighten me, I didn't know that Theodora Goss is a Hungarian American writer - but I might as well have guessed. There are several stories that are set in Hungary or feature Hungarians (sometimes Hungarians living elsewhere) and that convey a real sense of place without long lectures or exposition. With that come references, some more obvious than others, to the Soviet Union and Communism's effect on freedom in general and art in particular. Sometimes, it's just a throwaway line that sets the scene, sometimes we get a fuller image of how artists were restrained in their creativity. These snippets all paint a full and bright picture - which is why this book counts as a stop on my literary world trip.

I am haunted by ghosts, invisible, impalpable: the ghosts of silver spoons and margarine tubs, the smell of paprikás cooking on Sunday afternoons. The ghost of a country.

However, this is only a small part of the collection's diversity. One story, "A Statement in the Case", is a statement given to the police about a rather mysterious death, we discover distant memories of a dying ballerina in "Death Comes for Ervina", and there is a recurring character in several stories who I suspect may not be entirely human...

As much as I loved the stories that explore culture, art, death, and cancer, it will always be one particular kind that speaks to me most: the one about the other world, existing just next to ours. In "Pip and the Fairies", Philippa, the heroine in her mother's childrens' book series, returns to her childhood home after many years of being a rich and successful actress. She remembers what inspired her mother to come up with "Pip" and her trips to fairyland - or was it the other way around? Did her mother's books create her memories? We can't know for sure but whether it's all pretend or real magic, it's wonderful to read.

This is the sort of thing people like: the implication that, despite their minivans and microwaves, if they found the door in the wall, they too could enter fairyland.

The collection ends with a beautiful tale about teenage girlfriends who decide one day to become witches and take lessons with Miss Gray. Their adventures tie together some of the previous stories, but can also be read on their own. Considering that these stories all somehow fit together, I'm sure I missed at least half the connections and clues, reading a story here and there, without giving much thought to the bigger picture. But that just makes me look forward to my first re-read even more. Theodora Goss lets you travel across borders, both real and imaginary, and leads you through story after story in a light, conversational tone. She is like Cat Valente's less flowery sister. I'll see you after I've bought her entire backlist of books.

MY RATING: 9/10 - Close to perfection!