Visit John Connolly's website

The version of the Cinderella story included here was written subsequent to the publication of The Book of Lost Things, and was primarily intended a ‘thank you’ to the son of my American editor, who designed his own cover to go with the book.

Yet, in some ways, the story of Cinderella might have seemed an obvious choice for inclusion in The Book of Lost Things itself. After all, it is on one level a story of sibling rivalry and of the usurpation of the natural order that occurs when a “vain and haughty” stepmother, and the two daughters who share her temperament, undermine the relationship between a father and his child and force that child into a subservient role.

Perhaps it was the case that, like Snow White, whose tale is only tangentially touched upon in the book, and then only to humorous effect, it was a little too obvious. It was also a tale that would reinforce David’s feelings of anger and isolation, instead of allowing him to explore them and move on from them, as do many of the other tales in the book. Nevertheless, the spirit of Cinderella haunts The Book of Lost Things, for thematically it is probably the tale closest to David’s own perceived situation at the start of the book.

“Cinderella” is an interesting tale in that the way that it confronts the problem of sibling rivalry. True, it does so at one remove by making stepsisters of Cinderella’s tormentors, and it certainly exaggerates the torments that a bullied sibling might experience, but a child will empathise with such treatment. After all, a child’s sense of injustice is very acute, and even a relatively minor encounter with a parent or sibling that ends badly for the child can assume dreadful dimensions in his or her mind. The truth in the tale of Cinderella lies not in the details of the mistreatment of the titular heroine but in the feelings that this mistreatment arouses.

Of course, these feelings are only partly directed at the siblings in question. The real target is the parents involved, because tied in with sibling rivalry is the fear of rejection, of being cast aside in favour of a cleverer, more talented, or more beautiful child. The story also taps into a child’s own fears that he may, in truth, not be quite as accomplished as his siblings, that rejection may be no more than he deserves.

The issue of Cinderella’s unquestioned virtue is rarely raised in versions of the story. It is simply assumed that Cinderella is the offended party, not only more sinned against than sinning but not sinning at all. In Basile’s telling of the tale, though, Cinderella is guilty of murdering her first stepmother, and her fate is the result of her own misdeeds.

Finally, in common with a number of the other tales that feature in The Book of Lost Things, “Cinderella” has, among its cast of characters, a weak father figure who fails to protect his child. In some versions, he actively tries to prevent her from achieving happiness. In the Grimms’ tale, he cuts down the dovecote/ pear tree in response to reports that the prince believes Cinderella to be hiding there. He is contrasted with the idealised mother figure for whom Cinderella weeps, watering the tree upon her grave with her tears. There is much here with which David might empathise.

Times Recommends

• The Sunday Times 100 best holiday reads
• What will we be reading this summer: the booksellers predict
• Literary festivals: a survivor’s guide