Scales Fell From Her Eyes: Parable #1 by Mae Murray

Scales Fell From Her Eyes: Parable #1 Reviews

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  Isabelle

  In 1946, Looney Tunes animator Frank Tashlin wrote and illustrated The Bear That Wasn't, a picture book about a bear who awakes post-hibernation in the middle of a bustling industrial complex. Tashlin's aim was to both satirise corporate culture, and also to comment on self-fulfilling prophecies. Everyone around him asserts that the bear is not a bear; he is "a silly man who needs a shave and wears a fur coat." At first, the bear challenges them, but their stubbornness and willful disregard for his true identity eventually wear him down. It is almost tragic (the bear happily rediscovers himself at the end of the book), and it serves as a prescient lesson even today. Many of us are told over and over how and who we should be, and that who we say we are is not quite right. We are guided down paths to dead ends. Often, it is the very people who should care for us most who lead us there. In many cases, self-discovery is punished, and self-expression must be hidden.
  
  Mae Murray's queer fairy tale Scales Fell From Her Eyes follows a she-wolf who sheds her fur and claws in a bloody birthing of a human form. It also follows Harry, a Gold Rush widow (un)settled in Dawson City, Yukon. Having recently miscarried, Harry drinks and fights and pans like men just to survive. Her marriage was an unhappy one, not least because she prefers the company of women. When the she-wolf, now in the form of a beautiful woman, staggers into town wrapped in her own pelt, Harry takes her in. Together, they embark on a search: Harry, for what she has lost; and the she-wolf, for what she never knew she was missing.
  
  More than anything else, this is a story about settlers. The she-wolf settles in a human form; Harry settles for a man and then, until the wolf arrives, a life alone; and the white men have settled on the land of the Indigenous Hän. This latter form of settling is, of course, a violent euphemism. Murray details the displacement and murder of the First Nations people, and it echoes throughout the story. We learn of poisoned rivers and reservations, and that Harry's late husband would not have died had he not insisted on panning for gold. This is the bloodiest, most literal act of subjugation explored in the story. White people ‘manifesting their destiny’ and generally committing heinous racist acts are often overlooked in historical fiction. This dark legacy underscores what is to come (so, too, does the visceral emergence of the she-wolf's human form).
  
  Murray expertly balances the dark fantasy of the wolf's story with the stark reality of Harry's. The former is beautiful and melancholy, suitably bloody and tragic. The latter explores one woman's loneliness, and her desire for human contact. In order to fit in with the men (and, perhaps, in order to protect herself) she postures; and her solitude is such that she finds herself unable to resist the she-wolf’s human form, even in her weakened, vulnerable state. The wolf, meanwhile, thrills at the opportunity to learn the senses of the human body, and especially how it feels to be touched by another woman. What she learns is so overwhelming – and so wonderful – that she sets out to share it with her pack. However, as we have already established, asserting one’s identity is often unwelcome.
  
  Scales Fell From Her Eyes is a beguiling little fairy tale about attempting to find yourself in a world that would prefer you stay hidden. It releases March 29th, alongside the fabulous horror anthology The Book of Queer Saints, which Murray edited. Thank you so much to Mae for providing an early copy of this lovely story.
• 
  Hailey Piper

  A beautiful short story of striking atmosphere, vivid imagery, and lush prose. I won't do that thing where people knock a rating because they wanted more, this is a glorious short story, BUT I would love to read a longer work told with Mae's enchanting voice and powerful energy.
• 
  Bon

  Incredible, with visceral, touching prose. The wolf's tale, the northern imagery to the story, it was a great bridge to speaking about the potential for wildness in us all. I'm so proud of my friend Mae for this piece. 💜
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  Lor

  When Mae writes, she gives a piece of herself to the reader. It's intimate, vulnerable and deserves to be cherished.
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  Jeff

  In this tale, where folklore walks hand in hand with the Weird, Mae’s vivid, beautiful, melodic prose gives us a glimpse into the harsh life of survival in the winter wilderness as it clashes against the hardened world of white man's greed in the gold rush west. Where the push for newfound wealth stifles common sense as it destroys all it touches. It’s a story of transformation, of love lost—buried, abandoned, or forgotten—and love/lust reawakened.
  
  This is Mae’s first completed short fiction in 13 years. It’s a shame we’ve been deprived of her voice for so long. I hope we won’t have to wait as long to hear her song again.
• 
  James Bennett

  With sharp and vivid language, Mae Murray presents a beguiling tale of the old Canadian frontier. 'Scales Fell From Her Eyes' is wolfish and weird, blending folklore and horror against a snowy waste of shattered dreams, survival and hunger. Desire burns at the heart of the story and reveals a writer of depth and talent.
  Looking forward to reading more of Murray's work.
• 
  Pardeep Aujla

  Unlike any other werewolf tale I've read. The descriptions were rich and vivid to the point where I really felt as if I were right there walking within these environments, taking in the sights, sounds and scents. A brilliant short story that conveys the simultaneous beauty and cold brutality of nature.
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  Donyae Coles

  Dark and beautiful. It put in mind of In The Company Of Wolves. My only complaint is that it's too short! Can't wait to see more of this work.
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  Kai Van

  CW: blood, violence, death, gore, some body horror, miscarriage, dubious consent
  
  short and sweet and pretty fantastic
• 
  Sofia

  Wild and glorious. Line after line, Mae demonstrates an instinctive talent for weaving tapestries of ecstasy and fury into profoundly compelling passages that are alive. There is a religious beauty to this piece that's hard to describe. Eagerly awaiting the release of more fiction work; especially in longer format, I think she'll truly thrive.