[Review] "Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun" by Guillermo Del Toro and Cornelia Funke

Magic is everywhere when you are a child. From the ground you're walking on to the stars in the night. Wherever you go things aren't explainable, yet. So it's no surprise that our story's heroine, Ofelia, sees exactly this magic. But is it real or part of her imagination?

Our story takes place in 1944 in Spain and therefore in the early stages of the Francoist period. Ofelia and her mother are driven somewhere in the countryside to an old mill where Ofelia's mother's new husband lives. His name: Captain Vidal. A horrible person who only cares for Ofelia's mother giving him a son and furthering his side of the conflict's interests. No matter the cost.

Ofelia is very unhappy with the situation and soon meets a faun who tells her that she is the lost princess of the underworld where he's from and that she has to pass a few tests so she can return. So she starts doing those tests because her life doesn't seem right to her with the half-brother on the way and a stepfather who doesn't like her at all.

To completely summarize what this story is about I would have to give away a lot of the plot. But what I can say is that Ofelia sees her world through the lens of a fairytale and with the hopes of a child living in troubled times. Like in the movie you never really know if she only imagines things or if the faun and all other creatures really exist. In the book it gets even more like that because of the interlude chapters written as fairytales which reveal the possible backstories of characters and even objects.

Del Toro described the movie already as a parable and you can feel it again in the book which in my opinion is a wonderful novelization of the script. Except for the interlude chapters it is very close to the movie from what I can remember. It's been a while since I watched it last. But the book does give me the same feeling as the movie.

It's creepy and cute, mysterious and horrible, enthralling and disgusting. It makes you think and it makes you wonder if it is fantasy or psychological horror. What it definitely is, is a gorgeous story that will make you feel nostalgic because of the fairytale elements and will make you realize how much you have changed since you were a child.

As a fan of Cornelia Funke - because she was part of every millennial German booknerd's childhood - I enjoyed reading this in English and see how she did. I personally think she did fantastic in taking Del Toro's writing and creating a book from it. Both their ways of storytelling just merge so well together. I still haven't watched the interview with both of them from the special edition Bluray but I really need to because I want to find out more about this collaboration.

I would recommend the book to anyone who loves the movie but also to those people who enjoy magical realism and classic literature. But in general if you do not mind creepy stories you might want to check the book out. Or the movie if you can't see yourself spending time on a book. Both are fantastic.

4/5★
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Disclaimer: I wasn't asked or paid to talk about this book, the movie, or the authors. Everything I said is my own opinion unless otherwise stated. English isn't my native language so sorry if you find any grammar mistakes I didn't pick up on.

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