Random Things Tours: The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore

 

A modernist rendition of Russian folklore re-read in a predominantly women-oriented key lecture, The Witch and the Tsar, the debut novel by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore depicts a fantastic world of immortal witches and women friendship. 

As a child, I used to have a book featuring a witch living in a house with chicken legs, called Baba Yaga. An immortal woman featured in the Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga was mostly featured with a humb, a long nose eventually with a hair or two springing from the top of the nose. In the book, the eternal negative woman character is presented into a different light: as a trustful friend and a woman of honour.

Set in the second half of 16th century Russia, the books knits elements of folklore with historical fiction and fantasy. Baba Yaga´s determination to help her old friend Tsaritsa Anastasia Romanova leads her through the secret power rooms of the then Russian Empire and the supressed women voices. The elements of folklore added to the historical context make the story immortal, like Baba Yaga´s life. 

I confessed recently that I do struggle a bit to finish any kind of fantasy, no matter how good the writing is, due to a certain reserve I do have towards too much fiction - after all, my formation is very much nonfiction-oriented and my belief in any kind of magic and fantasy is practically non-existent. However, the journey I took alongside The Witch and the Tsar was more pleasant as I expected and although I´ve read the book for a couple of weeks, and the pace of some parts of the book was not always encouraging either, I was delighted by the reading adventure. Maybe because there were so many elements of Russian folklore that I am familiar with, or maybe simply because I was probably in a more open fantasy mood, I followed the book with interest and curiosity for the fate of the story and the characters.

The Witch and the Tsar is that kind of books to read during a long winter weekend, covered in warm duvets and surrounded by the overwhelming peace of the snow.

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own