Tender Morsels

If you were given your personal heaven, would you stay there forever?

Margo Lanagan’s Tender Morsels is a magical tale about the borders between worlds. After a series of violent and terrifying events, 15 year old Liga is at the point of giving up when she is magically gifted with a world of her own. In her world she has nothing to fear and she can raise her two infant daughters, Branza and Urdda, in comfort. Their world is a cozy and pleasant world that bends to their needs. As the years pass, little men and bears begin to intrude on their world, the borders begin to thin and the balance is disrupted. Intrigued by the unknown, Urdda begins looking for a way into the outside world. It becomes clear that the world that Liga escaped cannot be denied forever and they must return, however reluctantly, to reality.

Tender Morsels is a well-written and entertaining read that confronts the ideas of eternal bliss versus the uncertainty and disappointments of reality. The muted world of Liga’s heaven contrasts with the bright and vibrant world of reality with its violent emotional extremes and everything in between. Lanagan leaves the reader wondering whether one’s personal heaven is really better than reality.