‘The Enchanted’ by Rene Denfeld

Social media can be great. I especially like how you are able to follow various pages and share articles on Facebook. Whether it is funny, informative, or quirky, I share often.

Most recently I read an article titled “Beautiful Brutality” on the Bookriot Facebook page. It was a good article that suggested some great books. I’ve read my fair share of books of this caliber, but none as haunting as Rene Denfeld’s 2014 novel, “The Enchanted.” The book is told to us from the point of view of a death row inmate with a creative imagination. In this despairing prison, magical horses run underground and tiny men work in the walls. Rival gangs wrestle for power and corrupt guards call the shots.

A woman, known to the inmates as The Lady, races against time to save a man from execution. This man is a reluctant client because he does not want to be saved. How lost does one have to be before he is considered irredeemable? As the lady digs deeper into the man’s past, she learns more about his tragic childhood. How do the wounds of the past affect our future? 

The Lady is befriended by the priest in the prison. The priest has his own dark secrets to hide, leaving her to wonder what role do we play in the decisions of others? This brilliant melancholy tale scratches a mark on the subconscious, leaving us with the final question, “What makes a monster?”

Talisha Blackburn is the young adult library assistant at Beardsley and Memorial Library. To find this book or other books like this, visit the library at 40 Munro place Winsted.