Rump (2013) by Liesl Shurtliff
Rumpelstiltskin had never been a fairy tale I’d paid much attention to, but in my 20s I read a hilarious books of six short stories by Vivian van Velde called The Rumpelstilskin Problem. I adapted it into a short play for the class I was teaching at the time, and so this tale has been on my radar ever since. Rump was published in 2013, but I only just found it. I think I read two chapters the first night, and then the second night I stayed up waaaay too late so I could finish the whole thing.
In this story of Rumpelstiltskin, ‘Rump’ is an extremely sympathetic character, given only half a name and seemingly trapped by circumstances and fate. But as Rump finally comes into his inner power at the end of the story, we see the strength and courage he has in creating his own destiny.
I was surprised that the author was able to incorporate all the elements of the well-known tale in ways that flowed with the story. There are so many bizarre elements to Rumpelstiltskin, so Shurtliff’s cleverness in getting these to connect with Rump were truly impressive. The book was a page-turner, for sure, and such a pleasure to read. But it actually wasn’t until the Afterword by the author that I cried. Names have been on my mind these past years, and her words really touched me.
I’m so eager to read the other three books in this fairy tale series!