“Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies” by Heather Fawcett

I picked “Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies” by Heather Fawcett in one of the bookstores in Rotterdam a couple of weeks ago and I could not stop reading it. It is not usually the genre that I pick but it was in the same section as “The Song of Achilles” by Madeleine Miller so I decided to give it a try. Also, the author turned out to be a fellow Canadian and I am always happy to support Canadian print.

The protagonist of the story is Emily, a professor from Cambridge University who sets out on a trip up north with her dog Shadow to research a new species of folk and fairies. As she arrives at Hranfnsvik, she is suddenly joined by her colleague Wendell Bambleby and they go through a myriad of adventures together.

I loved both the world that the author has created and Emily’s character. You feel like you are completely transported in the mystical and unknown world and you feel like you are living through the adventures with the characters. As for Emily, although many reviews on Goodreads labeled her as stodgy, cold, and antisocial, I found her character to be charming. She is completely focused on her mission and deeply immersed in the research she is interested in, she is both disciplined and courageous and I had fun following her adventures. I also liked the character of Wendell – who (spoiler) has feelings for Emily – and it felt like he was someone who would stand for Emily regardless of whether their feelings for each other are professed or not. He felt to me like a secret guardian for Emily and I liked their dynamics. One of my favorite quotes ever is:

People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is “You are safe with me” – that is intimacy”.

Taylor Jenkins Reid

This is how I felt another their relationship and I found it very sweet.

The only quote that I noted down from the book was:

If something is impossible, you can’t be terrible at it.

That’s some food for thought.

Anyhow, if you are looking for a fun and light read for the gloomy and grey days, I definitely recommend this one.