She had been big into folktales. Not every night, but almost, she would pull down Fables and Folklore from Around the World from the impressive collection of books in our library, and we would curl up and read together. The book was great because it had all the stories I already knew, plus ones that were new and strange to me. Mom especially loved the folktales from other cultures, because she studied those kinds of things specifically. What I remembered most clearly, though, wasn’t one fairy tale or any folklore, it was what she taught me about storytelling. “There are two kinds of stories,” she said. “The kind people make up to help explain something they can’t believe, and the kind people make up to help them believe something they can’t explain.” My expression must have told her just how confused I was, because she’d laughed and explained it another way. “Sometimes your mind knows that something is true, but your heart can’t quite believe it.
What do You think about Waiting For Unicorns (2014)?
