![]() ![]() The first story is the namesake of the collection: “The Vanishing Princess, or, The Origin of Cubism” is about a princess who spends her life patiently locked in a tower until she is occupied by the alternating visits of two men. The Vanishing Princess is bookended by two stories about nameless princesses locked in towers, while the third is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. Three stories (a significant part in a 12-story collection) are about princesses. If there’s a theme that connects these stories, it’s that the narrators or main characters are women who feel constrained by the expectations and needs of those around them, and find different ways to live out, through, or despite that frustration. Diski’s collection is largely realistic, largely first-person or similarly third-person-limited stories from a woman’s point of view. ![]() In my experience, some of the best short story collections move through genre on a whim if acknowledged at all, it falls far behind considerations for character and story. ![]() I really enjoyed this collection, and intend to search out more of her work on my next library trip. ![]() When I began the introduction to The Vanishing Princess, I learned that this collection was published posthumously (in the US, at least), after the author died of cancer in 2016, but that Diski was a prolific and admired author during her lifetime. Like most of my library finds, I picked up this book with no foreknowledge of the author mainly, I liked the cover, and when I saw it was a collection of short stories it seemed like a good next read. ![]()
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