The Adult Fairytale

I just finished the novel In The House Upon The Dirt Between The Lake And The Woods by Matt Bell and it was amazing. I had no idea what I was getting into when I started the novel but soon fell into the language and characters. The story is about a Husband and Wife's new life together in a foreign place where there is really no one to help them. They are truly starting out on their own with only each other to rely on. Soon problems between the two develop as the Husband yearns for a child to complete their family. The Wife is able to get pregnant but can't bring any of her pregnancies to term. The two slowly drift apart as the Husband, the narrator of the story goes through a selfish journey to find what he really wants.

The story is told like a fairy tale where the names for the character describe what they are such as Husband and Bear. The story twists around the idea of elements such as Husband, Wife, Dirt, and Woods. The landscape is both realistic and magical. At times the narrative was confusing to get through, as I find happens in a lot of fairy tales. It's not one of those books you can shut your brain off and read. There are a lot of dots to connect between the elements that are involved in the novel. At the same time, this makes it a book a reader can read over and over to get new things out of it, which is truly what fairy tales are meant to do. Morals and lessons are at the heart of every fairy tale and it is up to the reader to look at the story and see how it could reflect on their own lives. What expectations do you have for a future spouse or partner? How do you see yourself? Do you think about how your actions and expectations affect other people?

Fairy tales have fallen out of today's society. The old Grimm and Hans Christian tales still resonate and are retold, but what about modern fairy tales that could speak for today's generation of readers. In The House Upon The Dirt Between The Lake And The Woods is a step in reviving an old storytelling art form and will delight readers looking for a challenging novel with exquisite language and imagery.