taken from Goodreads:
"Tender Morsels is a dark and vivid story, set in two worlds and worrying at the border between them. Liga lives modestly in her own personal heaven, a world given to her in exchange for her earthly life. Her two daughters grow up in this soft place, protected from the violence that once harmed their mother. But the real world cannot be denied forever—magicked men and wild bears break down the borders of Liga’s refuge. Now, having known Heaven, how will these three women survive in a world where beauty and brutality lie side by side?"
This novel is brutal, intense, unflinching. Lanagan's examination of the cruelty that men inflict upon women is at the center of this retelling of the familiar Snow White, Rose Red fairy tale (with elements of numerous other animal bridegroom stories added in, as well as a familiar-looking small man with an anger management issue). Lanagan doesn't take it easy on readers at all with this novel; the dialect is sometimes difficult, and the subject matter is absolutely horrifying at times. Yet there are touches of absolute magic as well, and the sheer power of the story continues to pull you forward.
I was afraid that Lanagan's feminist viewpoint might overwhelm the novel, but the story itself is strong enough to shoulder some pretty heavy opinions. This is easily one of the best books I've read all year, but be warned: it's not for everyone. If you do stick it out, though, you'll be rewarded by a novel that will keep you thinking for many days after putting it down.
