The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a book like no other. There have been so many books in the last couple years centred around fairy tales and their retellings. A few that come to mind (and that are sitting in my TBR pile) are The Book of Gothel and Ithaca. My recent read on similar lines was Into the Underwood:Maiden by Julia Robertson. What makes Roshani Chokshi’s book unique is that it isn’t about one fairy tale. It takes a scholarly perspective on their interpretation while weaving it into a world of magic and reality, set in the context of a marriage. Take a look at the synopsis below:
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride
By Roshani Chokshi | Goodreads
A sumptuous, gothic-infused story about a marriage that is unraveled by dark secrets, a friendship cursed to end in tragedy, and the danger of believing in fairy tales–the breathtaking adult debut from New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi.
Once upon a time, a man who believed in fairy tales married a beautiful, mysterious woman named Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada. He was a scholar of myths. She was heiress to a fortune. They exchanged gifts and stories and believed they would live happily ever after–and in exchange for her love, Indigo extracted a promise: that her bridegroom would never pry into her past.
But when Indigo learns that her estranged aunt is dying and the couple is forced to return to her childhood home, the House of Dreams, the bridegroom will soon find himself unable to resist. For within the crumbling manor’s extravagant rooms and musty halls, there lurks the shadow of another girl: Azure, Indigo’s dearest childhood friend who suddenly disappeared. As the house slowly reveals his wife’s secrets, the bridegroom will be forced to choose between reality and fantasy, even if doing so threatens to destroy their marriage . . . or their lives.
Combining the lush, haunting atmosphere of Mexican Gothic with the dreamy enchantment of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is a spellbinding and darkly romantic page-turner about love and lies, secrets and betrayal, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.
Content notes include abusive relationships, inappropriate advances, being drugged, abandonment, grief.
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride
What drew me to this story:
As a newlywed, I was attracted to the synopsis. Clinton and I had already been living together for a few years when we got engaged so in some ways, marriage isn’t that much of an adjustment. But at the same time, I have realized that by marrying someone, or maybe just loving someone in an intimate way, opens them up to our past, present and future. Life has ups and downs and, in a partnership, we face them together.
There were some uncanny things that caught my attention too. Having just lost my paternal aunt, someone I loved dearly, I wanted to read a book with a niece-aunt relationship. I wanted to be immersed in that love again. Clinton and I visited Abu when we went to India. The house Abu lived in was the house of my childhood. It was very special to me and the days I spent in the rooms lined with bookshelves and reading with Abu are some of my fondest memories. The House of Dreams reminded me of that place and I am glad that I can find pieces of my past and present in this story.
The Bridegroom:
I always find it fascinating when characters are not given a name. The bridegroom is a scholar who falls in love with Indigo when he meets her to see a unique historical artifact. They realize they have a unique connection and they embark on a marriage with a vow that they would not pry their secrets. They both love fairy tales and these tales become an important part of their relationship. Indigo is like a fairy tale to the bridegroom and he has been lured by her magic, not quite knowing how their story will end.
He wants to keep this wedding vow but when Indigo’s aunt gets close to her deathbed and they have to go to the House of Dreams, he starts to notice certain things about his wife that don’t add up. The House, being a magical place, has its own motive to help the bridegroom reveal the truth about his wife.
When he was a child, he too believed in magic and in some ways he still does. He has a past that he finds confusing and he doesn’t want to visit. He believes he had a brother but his parents denied it. Maybe magic took him away from him. What does it do to a person to know something to be true but to have reality deny that very fact? The House promises clarity.
What will this quest to unravel the past do to their marriage and who they are?
Azure and Indigo:
At the House of Dreams, the bridegroom learns about a childhood friend that Indigo had. Her name was Azure and she disappeared at the age of eighteen. The Last Tale of the Flower Bride is told in two perspectives: the bridegroom and Azure. Azure is about ten years old when she moves in the neighbourhood and becomes friends with Indigo. She is unhappy in her life. Her mother is weak and jealous. She is in a relationship with a man much like her. Azure has not felt loved or at home for a long time and finding a friend in Indigo and an adult in Tati who loves her changes Azure’s life. Like metal attracted to a magnet, Azure is caught up in Indigo’s dreams and hopes and together they discover a place of magic, the Otherworld.
What follows is a story about their friendship and growing up. They want to be with the fae, they believe they are meant to be more than what this world has to offer and Indigo knows without a doubt that they will transcend on the eighteenth birthday. As time passes, Azure no longer wants to be a shadow to Indigo. She wants her own life and Indigo is very much willing to punish her to be herself. I rooted for Azure the whole time. Indigo could have been a great friend but she was missing empathy. She put Azure in danger so many times, like pushing her to the edge of the cliff and holding by the shirt so she won’t fall but still letting her come so close to the end.
I was caught up in the events that led to the bridegroom finding out the truth and what the truth ultimately was. I loved the common threads between the bridegroom and Azure!
The House of Dreams:
The writing is remarkable! The House of Dreams is a place of magic and that is evident in how it feels to the residents and visitors. The bridegroom feels it, as does Azure when she first arrives. The House likes certain people more than others. It does not want certain people to ever leave. Whether it is people’s imagination in times of stress and wonder, it doesn’t matter. The House has protection and marvel to offer. I don’t think I have read a book where a house was an entity and being in itself.
How this book is a meditation on fairy tales:
Roshani Chokshi interweaves fairy tales from around the world into The Last Tale of the Flower Bride. Most I was not familiar with and for the ones I knew, I quite enjoyed the interpretation of the events and the things left unsaid by the tales. When I read Narnia, I noticed that at the end Susan was not present. To Indigo and Azure, Cast-Out Susan is someone they particularly want to avoid being. And yet, as Azure starts to become her own person in life, she questions the conclusions readers jump to about Susan. We accuse her of having given up her magical side and the Otherworld too having closed its doors to her. But is that what really happened? What other possibilities could there be? While Indigo takes the fairy tales as gospel, the ending being what was told with no changes possible, Azure is a freer spirit, learning from the tales and questioning them.
Coming back to marriage, I also liked the bridegroom commentary on the ending of fairy tales. How happiness can be summarised in a few words when reality is a lot more complicated. Do we truly know for sure what happens next? What does happily ever after even look like?
The note from the author
Do you read author notes? I do. The Last Tale of the Flower Bride begins with Roshani Chokshi sharing her reason to write this story. I enjoyed her take on how this book is different from writing middle grade and young adult books. Revisiting old favorite stories as an adult expands the world drastically for us. As a kid while I could experience the discomfort and the wonder of the world, nuances like grief, pity and bigger emotions escaped me. Coming back to fairy tales is a way to grow with the story and whatever I read next, would be forever influenced by The Last Tale of the Flower Bride.
What an enchanting tale! I annotated, highlighted and adored it. Will you be giving this a read? Add The Last Tale of the Flower Bride to your Goodreads shelf.
Books I was reminded of by The Last Tale of the Flower Bride:
Many thanks to the publisher for providing me a review copy of the book for an honest review.
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