Roshani Chokshi’s The Last Tale of the Flower Bride begins like a fairy tale: a man who, unable to make sense of his own personal history, has dedicated his life to studying myths falls in love with Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada, a beautiful, enigmatic heiress looking to start a new chapter in life. Because of this, she makes her bridegroom promise that he will never pry into her past; otherwise, their marriage would be destroyed. He agrees, and for a time they are very happy. But eventually, Indigo’s estranged aunt, her only living relative, is on her deathbed, and the couple has to visit Indigo’s childhood home, called the House of Dreams, and the temptation to unravel Indigo’s secrets becomes too strong to resist.

The story is told from two different points of view in two separate timelines: that of Indigo’s unnamed bridegroom in the near-present (the description of the cell phone makes me think this timeline might be set in the early aughts), and her best friend Azure, beginning when they’re around ten years old and culminating the night of their high school graduation.

Chokshi does a great job channelling Grimm-era fairy tales & older legends like Melusine, Eros & Psyche, and Blodeuwedd (the Flower Bride), making you wonder if what you’re reading is going to end up more fantasy or horror inspired, and the lush prose she often employs plays up that effect. I also felt like Indigo could be a great Peter Pan parallel at times, with her singular focus on her private world and casual disregard for others’ feelings, but surprisingly enough I think that was the one story that wasn’t directly referenced by any of the characters.

The way Chokshi handled the mystical realism aspect of the book was well done, really walking a tightrope between reality and fantasy, not dictating if what the characters are feeling or seeing in the House of Dreams is truly magic or just the product of their own fears and wishful thinking. This story could easily be told a number of ways without really changing anything; a fairy story, a ghost story, or completely rooted in realism. It’s all in how you want to frame it. What it boils down to is a story about what can happen when the lines between reality, make-believe, and the lies we tell ourselves start to blur, and the dangers of blind hope and love.

All in all, I give The Last Tale of the Flower Bride 4 stars out of 5. It’s definitely my favorite adult-read so far this year.