A review by thegigglingwillow
The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill

inspiring slow-paced

4.75

A narcissistic town leader, who bathes in gold while saying there's nothing to go around. Slowly, the conditions of the town deteriorate as he takes, takes, takes. Talking much, but saying little of relevant importance; Quick to point fingers as he hollers:

"Make our town lovely again!"

"See what happens when we let ogres in?"

Frustrated and scared, the townspeople are easily manipulated by their mayor's claims. They begin to distrust one another, to hoard resources, to point fingers at those who are visibly different from them. The library is burned down, the townspeople spread hate and desperately turn to violence. Compassion is a distant memory. Mob mentality ensues, as the mayor repeatedly spews fancy lies, feasting on the chaos. It's up to the youth, the poor, and the marginalized to see through the misinformation and to spread love and compassion among their neighbors; To quench the hurt, extinguish the hate, and save their town.

 You may think, as I did, that this novel is an allegory based on events of the turn of this decade. I came across an interview with Kelly Barnhill where she eloquently responded to that question with:

"We have seen this sort of behavior before, and unfortunately we will see it again. There will always be liars; there have always been tyrants; there will always be greedy, rapacious men seeking to sink their teeth into the world... Long ago, people told stories about dragons sitting on their piles of hoarded riches, and maybe it wasn’t too much of a stretch to see similarities between those shining, selfish beasts and those living off the labor of others, and sucking their communities dry. Dragons, alas, will always be with us. This is why fairy tales still matter: they teach us how those dragons can be beaten."

But that's enough about evil. Enough about what is broken. Much more importantly, this book is about *good*. It's about repairing the damage. It's about being a neighbor.

If you've read anything by Kelly Barnhill, you'll know that her writing is exquisite. Slow and savory, as I recently described The Girl Who Drank the Moon. In The Ogress and the Orphans, I felt a bit less of the whimsy and atmospherical vibes than I did with The Girl, however, the themes of The Ogress were so very meaningful and relevant. I came to love it nearly as much!  This is very high praise, as The Girl Who Drank the Moon is an all-time favorite.