After the Forest

DEBUT Once upon a time, in the German village of Lindenfeld, deep in the Black Forest, lived a pair of notorious, debt-ridden siblings, Greta and Hans Rosenthal. As children, Hans and Greta were abandoned in the forest and found a gingerbread house and a witch—a familiar tale. But what happens after the witch? This is where debut Australian author Woods picks up the tale, adding layers and feminist messages throughout. As Greta comes into her own as a witch and a woman, she must work together with new allies to save herself and her home, finding romance and secrets and battling her own nature along the way. While at times the novel’s many characters and multiple fairy tales can make the narrative challenging to follow, this is a triumphant look at a woman in the 1650s taking charge of her own story, with magic woven throughout. Elements of “Hansel and Gretel,” “Snow-White and Rose-Red,” real historical German witch trials, and wolf-based fairy tales combine to form Greta’s story.