The White Deer

I’ve had this little book (a novella really) on my TBR for ages, don’t even recall why I first put it there. Today I read it in the bath. It was funny and quirky and tongue-in-cheek but also thoughtful between the lines (if that makes sense). It’s like a fairy tale turned halfway inside out, if you will. There’s a king with three sons, two love to hunt and the third is a bit quieter (he always lets the hunted animals escape). One day they’re chasing a mystical white deer through the forest, but when they bring the quarry to bay, instead there’s a lovely maiden standing there. Convinced she is a princess, they take her back to the castle. She’s supposed to set a series of near-impossible tasks for the brother princes to complete, whoever brings her the requested trophy first, will win her hand. But does she even want that? She has a quiet, gentle shy manner, and cannot recall her name. She starts to wonder if she’s just a commoner and won’t be allowed to stay with the prince who marries her, but worst yet is rumor of a story, that she might just be a common deer turned into a woman by a magic trick. Her character reminded me in many ways of Amalthea in The Last Unicorn, and the odd conversations that go in circles with senseless (but delightful) wordplay made me think of Alice in Wonderland. But this story has a character all its own. It gets a little silly and repetitive in places, but I didn’t mind. I liked the ending.