JUNIPER & THORN

Narrator Stina Nielsen conveys the horror that fuels this retelling of the Grimms' fairy tale "The Juniper Tree." Marlinchen, the youngest daughter of the twisted wizard Vashchenko, is kept captive in her dilapidated family home. She is forced to peddle her services as a flesh diviner, as she can read people's thoughts through touch. Nielsen communicates Marlinchen's desperate joy when her sisters take her to town, allowing her glimpses of different lives and possibilities. This visit sets off a monstrous chain of events, which Nielsen describes with precise pacing and just the right amount of suspense. Due to disturbing descriptions of sexual abuse and graphic violence, this lyrically told story may not appeal to all, but it is, nonetheless, a compelling and thoroughly enchanting listen. S.A.H. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2022]