F*cked Up Fairy Tales

Inspired by sources from around the world, “Cosbrarian” Liz Gotauco conjures gossipy animals, homicidal royals, doomed commoners, and shape-shifting beaux—all reckoning with complicated, adult problems that “Disney versions” have sanitized. F*cked Up Fairy Tales explores timeless themes that have long tickled the human subconscious, from accidental bestiality (“So . . . You Married an Animal”) and catastrophic marriages (“Crappily Ever After”) to the vexed question of what to do with your murderous lindworm child (“F*cked Up Family Trees”). Gotauco highlights the not-so-distressed damsels and overlooked voices of folklore, including heroes like the Philippines’ unlucky-in-love goddess Maria Makiling, India’s clever Princess Kalendrin, and Chile’s no-nonsense Snow White. She also teases and topples fairy tale tropes: for every wicked stepmother there’s a gaslighting sorcerer; for every royal wedding there’s an embarrassingly public breakup; childhood lessons of idleness, innocence, and piety are put on hold for questions about lust, aging, and divine poetic justice. And her deeply researched yet hilarious asides offer insight into the stories’ contested origins and spill deliciously weird details about fairy tale authors like Madame d’Aulnoy and the Brothers Grimm. Sexy, disturbing, and outrageous, with stylish, distinctive illustrations, F*cked Up Fairy Tales celebrates the astonishing diversity of the oral tradition, reaffirming our universal love for a story that’s messy as f*ck.