Colleen Mondor Reviews Once More Upon a Time by Roshani Chokshi
Once More Upon a Time, Roshani Chokshi (Sourcebooks 978-1-72823-982-8, $14.99, hc 144pp) October 2021.
Roshani Chokshi’s sublime novella Once More Upon a Time is an absolute treat that manages to be both an homage and a challenge to several classic fairy tales. There are two lovers, Ambrose and Imelda, laboring under a devastating bargain with a witch who demands they embark on a great quest in order to set themselves free. The two of them are carrying a great deal of emotional baggage from their childhoods, each of which is based on a classic tale. (Isabella was one of the 12 dancing princesses, for example.) The challenges they face include an icy queen, a cursed prince with ulterior motives, and an inn that harbors terrifying secrets. (This was a plot twist readers will not see coming.)
With a narrator who has a penchant for amusing asides, Once More Upon a Time begins with the traditional, ‘‘Once upon a time…’’ just as it should. Readers quickly learn how Ambrose and Imelda met and the terrible circumstance that befell them on the day of their wedding, necessitating a difficult bargain. In the pages that follow, they commence a great journey at the direction of the witch, accompanied only by a magical cloak that is really a horse and serves as a boon companion. (A prince needs a faithful horse!) A litany of adventures follow, (as they do in fairy tales), but there is much more to this story than facing down villains and monsters. The biggest problem is that Ambrose and Imelda have lost the love that brought them together, and that is a very sad (and confusing) thing. In the course of the story, bit by bit, they begin to learn about each other and find their way to a newer, deeper, truer love than their first, fairytale meeting had afforded them.
It is hard not to overstate how much Chokshi accomplishes in so few pages. Once More Upon a Time is funny and insightful, but also surprisingly tender. It’s also a rollicking tale of a powerful witch, that evil (and terrifying) queen, two strong and determined protagonists, and the aforementioned amusing cloak/horse. As Ambrose and Imelda physically make their way to what they think they want, they find themselves considering all they lost because of the bargain and the possibility of getting something different now. In the course of their travails, they reflect a great deal on themselves and where they came from, peeling back a lot of layers from the parts of the fairytale stories readers often pass over without too much of a thought. (I am honestly never going to look at ‘‘The Twelve Dancing Princesses’’ the same way again.) Once More Upon a Time is deceptively simple in size and scope, appearing as only a mere trifle as a story, but, oh my, it’s actually proof of just how accomplished an author Roshani Chokshi is. Altogether, this title is a delightful romp that is one of the more romantic I have read in ages. I loved this book and I defy all of you not to love it a bit as well.
Colleen Mondor, Contributing Editor, is a writer, historian, and reviewer who co-owns an aircraft leasing company with her husband. She is the author of “The Map of My Dead Pilots: The Dangerous Game of Flying in Alaska” and reviews regularly for the ALA’s Booklist. Currently at work on a book about the 1932 Mt. McKinley Cosmic Ray Expedition, she and her family reside in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. More info can be found on her website: www.colleenmondor.com.
This review and more like it in the January 2022 issue of Locus.
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