Revisiting the forest Hansel and Gretel stumble into, The Witch Tells the Story and Makes It True drifts between narrative and incantation, as the witch claims her spot at the center of the tale "we know by heart"--the ravenous witch, the precocious children. And yet, "If there's a hero in this story," she declares, "I tell you, it's me."

In an exploration of power, gender, and the nature of evil, this singularly monstrous woman recounts her origins and recasts her end.