Book Review: White Cat, Black Dog: Stories by Kelly Link

My Rating: 3.4⭐

Varying in themes and tone, combining elements of fantasy and magical realism and speculative fiction, White Cat, Black Dog: Stories by Kelly Link is a collection of seven short stories that are essentially retellings of popular fairy tales and folklore in contemporary (and futuristic) settings.

My favorite story was Skinder’s Veil (4.5/5) which revolves around a young man who spends a few weeks filling in for his friend for a housesitting gig that comes with a set of interesting rules and even more interesting visitors. Atmospheric and engaging! Two other stories I enjoyed were The White Cat’s Divorce (4/5) in which three sons are sent on weird quests on the instructions of their affluent father who pits them against one another, claiming to declare the son who satisfies the terms and conditions of his quest most satisfactorily as his heir. Creative and entertaining! The Lady and the Fox (4/5) revolves around a young girl and her encounters with a ghostly presence during Christmas visits to a family friend’s home. A sweet story that retains a fairy tale quality! Prince Hat Underground (3/5) has Gary searching for his lost husband who disappears suddenly one day with a woman who was his ex-fiancée. This story was unnecessarily long and though I enjoyed how the story pans out eventually, I found my interest waning in the first half of the story. The White Road (4.5/5) follows a group of traveling performers in a post-apocalyptic future. This story was engaging and atmospheric. In The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear (2/5) a professor returning home from a lecture finds herself stranded at the airport on account of inclement weather. Though this story features sensitive issues such as mental health, the story was not engaging. The Game of Smash and Recovery (2/5) is a futuristic retelling of Hansel and Gretel featuring Oscar who cares for his younger sister Anat while his parents are away. As the narrative progresses Anat realizes her reality is not quite what she was made to believe. Unsettling, and imaginative but wasn’t quite my cup of tea.

It was nice that the author mentions the tale/ lore that inspired each story so that the reader might reference the same. A few of these original stories were not unknown to me, and while few stories rely heavily on the source material for inspiration others are barely recognizable as retellings. I truly loved the concept behind this collection and appreciate the creativity and imagination that went into crafting these retellings but overall, it was a mixed bag for me. I must mention Shaun Tan’s illustrations which perfectly captured the essence of each story.

Many thanks to author Kelly Link, Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this collection of stories. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book is due to be released on March 28, 2023.