The Enchanted

by Rene Denfeld
April 6-20, 2015

I'm way behind on my posts. Three or more to be (sort of) exact. Though I won't do them justice, these posts will be short and sweet so I can get caught up.

The Enchanted. Poetic. Stunning. At first a little confusing. A lot depressing. But just beautifully written.

"The sun sets over the scrubby woods below, and the sweet peach juice runs down the lady's throat. It takes like a miracle."

At only 237 pages, this novel has a lot to say in a small amount of space. Denfeld was quite successful, knowing what to embellish upon and what to leave be. The statement about prison life is loud and clear. I personally struggle with this though because isn't prison meant to be a punishment? Do hardened criminals, murderers and child molesters deserve any better than they get? I completely understand why a prisoner would choose death over life in a cell.

The Enchanted, seen through the eyes of a mute, death row inmate, is one long metaphor. The inmate interprets his surroundings into what makes sense to him. He sees prison through a magical lens. I had the sense that there was a fuzzy haze over the whole novel. A calming feeling even though the subject matter was so intense. It's a quick, thought-provoking read. I highly recommend it.


* * * * *