Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente – review

When I first heard about  Deathless, I was very excited to read it, mainly because, while I enjoy reading and studying folklore and fairy tales on my own time, I am not very familiar with any of the stories from Russian or Slavic cultures.  I knew that it was going to be a story entirely new to me, or at least, I was really hoping that it would be.

Koschei the Deathless is a character used in Russian Folklore; he’s usually a very cruel character, made even more frightening because he cannot die.  His soul is housed sepearately from his body, in a needle in an egg in a duck in a hare in a chest that is buried. Unless someone crushes the egg, Koschei will never die.  Other creatures and characters make appearances, as well.  I was most familliar with Baba Yaga because of my own research, and I think she will probably remain one of the most  familiar characters to readers.

The book opens with Marya Morevna watching the street outside her window.  She sees a bird fall off a branch and turn into a handsome young man, who knocks on the front door.  This is her first encounter with magic and the first time that she begins to realize that not every one really sees the world as it is.  They see the things that they expect to see, and therefore miss the extraordinary events going on around them.  The book is set during the Communist Revolution and follows Marya’s story as she strives to continue seeing the magic in the world, certain that one day a bird will fall from a branch and will become a man who knocks on the front door and asks to marry her.

Along the way, she encounters domovoi, the small goblinlike creatures that are caretakers of the houses. Domovoi are supposed to be gifted with old boots and milk in thanks for the things that they do for the families who live in the house.  The Morevna’s domovaya has not been thanked properly, and this creature is the one who informs Marya Morevna that she is to be wed to Koschei the Deathless.  She doesn’t understand who that is, or why his name seems to strike such fear into the Domovoi.

When Koschei finally arrives on her doorstep, Marya quickly learns why he scares them so much.  She travels with him to become his bride, taking up residence in the village of Buyan.  Koschei does end up telling Marya where he keeps his death, which sets off a chain of events that leads not only to Marya fleeing and gaining another husband, but to her eventual return to Koschei.

The story is told with narrative style that holds true to the fact that this is the retelling of a fairy tale.  It is straightforward and patterned with a repetition that emphasizes how events are connected, along with the similarities and differences in those events.  Rather than a rule of three that seems to permeate the stories that I am used to (three magical items, three villains, etc.), Deathless seems to carry a rule of four.  The magic is presented as normal and common, though some of the initial impressions of things do shock Marya and those unfamiliar with the magical world.  It also carries a theme that while it is often easier to conform to what is expected and to fit in with everyone around you, that conformism can also carry a very dangerous and very high price. Communism is also presented as a villain in the novel as it slowly and steadily destroys Marya’s world and her friendships.

The prose in this book is beautiful.  It flows steadily and easily and keeps the reader highly engaged, which I feel really says something about the writing style, considering I found myself sounding out words and names pretty frequently becuase I don’t know Russian.  It isn’t the kind of book where you can gloss over unfamiliar words or names, becuase they will continue to pop up over and over, and you’ll need to remember who is who to make sure you understand what is happening.  Still, I found this book almost impossible to put down, because I was driven to know what would happen next.  I wanted to see where Marya would have to journey and who she would encounter when she did.

The book does contain a fair amount of history, though it’s never presented as a dry lesson.  Readers encounter the Communist Revolution through Marya’s eyes as she experiences it.  As World War II progresses, supplies dwindle, and Marya is forced to do what she must to survive.  She struggles against hardships but does her best to perservere.  She isn’t always likeable as a character, but she is very strong, and she seems to be, at times, as much a victim of circumstance as she is the author of her own fate.

Anyone who is looking for a lighthearted, happy book would do best to find something else to read.  This story is as grim as any (original) fairy tale you might hope to read, which shouldn’t really come as a surprise to readers familiar with them.  There is violence, of course, but the story involves war, and the violence is not graphic.  The book also contains some sex scenes.  Again, they really aren’t graphic, but they are unmistakable, so anyone wishing to avoid those would also do well to read elsewhere.

However, if you’re looking for a book that is beautifully written and a story that seems at once familiar and new, then Deathless should fit that bill for you perfectly.