Deerskin
by Robin McKinley
Reviewed by Galen Strickland
Posted September 16, 2023
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Not all stories that could be classified fairy tales include magic, and through the first half I was thinking this would be one that did not. When I was deciding which of McKinley's novels I would read through the rest of the year, I searched for ratings at Amazon, Goodreads, and Story Graph. Deerskin had the highest ratings of all her standalone novels, but through most of Part One I was wondering why. Among other things, there was too much repetition of a certain phrase for my liking, that the Queen (and even before she was the Queen) was "the most beautiful woman in all the seven kingdoms." But she did not turn out to be the main character. It is her daughter instead. Whenever her full name was used it was Lissla Lissar, but I guess Lissla is the family name, the surname, because otherwise she was referred to as Lissar (until later). Cover images from various editions might only include her dog, Ash, so I originally thought the title might refer to her, that her coat was similar to that of a deer. She is called a fleethound in the book, but googling that took me to sighthound, a hunting dog known for speed, strength, and keen sight, such as a whippet or greyhound. Deerskin actually refers to Lissar, the reason for which is where the fantasy/magic comes in.
In the beginning, I thought this would appeal most to girls and women who dreamed of being a princess. But Lissar is not your typical princess, and her parents are not the typical King and Queen. They were always involved in affairs of state, placing more importance on interacting with, and making alliances with other kingdoms, rather than with raising their daughter. Lissar seemed fine with that. She liked being alone, taking walks in the garden, sometimes riding her horse, and later cultivating an interest in plants and herbs. The aunt of one of her maids was an herbalist, who taught her many things. Then…the Queen died, of a withering disease no physician could identify. That was when she acquired Ash, as a gift from a dignitary who came for the funeral. Lissar's life became even more closed off, since her father went into severe depression, his ministers having to conduct affairs of state. At the end of Part One, three different traumas caused Lissar to run away from the castle, accompanied only by Ash. She didn't know how long she wandered, but she sensed where she needed to go, which was into the mountains. Somehow they found their way to an unoccupied cabin, where they rested and recuperated. Most of her memory was gone, including her name, and any time her thoughts wandered in a particular direction she closed that off, suppressing the trauma. She had brought a little food with her, and some herbs, and there were some root vegetables and dried meat in the cabin. Later, she and Ash hunted for small game. She had very good aim when throwing stones at rabbits, and she foraged for edible plants, at least until the snows came.
One night in the dead of winter, she awoke from a frightening dream, and without regard to her safety she ran out of the cabin, attempting to run away from that memory. Ash followed of course, and after running a long way, they both collapsed in a meadow, in the heavy snow. She was ready to die then, but that didn't happen. She received a vision of a nurturing woman, whom she originally thought was her mother, but it might have been the legendary Moonwoman instead. When she came back to consciousness she realized her hair had turned completely white, when it had been a dark reddish-brown. She was in a white leather dress, which is where the name Deerskin came from. Ash had also grown a long, hairy coat. In early spring, after the snow started to melt, she knew she needed to leave the mountain, but she didn't go in the direction from whence she came, but the opposite, eventually making it to the "yellow city," in the kingdom of the Goldhouse family. Many people thought she was the Moonwoman, a legend she had previously been unaware of. She denied that, saying her name was Deerskin. She made the acquaintance of Lilac, one of the King's horse-handlers, who told her to go to the castle and ask for a job. The King, Queen, Prince, and Princess, held audience with anyone seeking help two days a week. Deerskin was lucky that day was one of them. She went into the receiving hall, barefoot and in her leather dress, Ash by her side. When it came her turn, the prince came out of his slump when he saw Ash, and remarked she looked like one of the dogs from his kennels. That got her a job in the kennels, nursing a litter of pups whose mother had died. The prince, Ossin, cared more for his dogs than anything else, so he took a great interest in how Deerskin managed to care for them, when he had been sure several would not survive. He made her a deal; the pups were hers, but he would expect pups from the next generation in return.
The last half is better written than the first, even with the trauma and uncertainty of Deerskin's fate. Without going into details, I'll say this is a more mature book than others I've read by McKinley. Instead of those dreaming of being a princess, the latter half might be more meaningful to women who have suffered trauma in their life. I'm avoiding cautionary notes, since just a hint might give away too much. Even if at times she feels weak, Lissar/Deerskin/Moonwoman(?) is very strong, both physically and mentally, in spite of her lost memory and occasional feelings of dread. She felt she had reason to flee her new situation too, and in so doing, the notion she might be the Moonwoman came to seem a certainty to the people her actions helped. Moonwoman supposedly travelled with her dog(s), helping people, finding lost children or wandering farm animals, and her reputation was that she came just in the nick of time when she was needed. Deerskin did that multiple times, and it seems some power, some intuition, given to her by Moonwoman, made that possible. She always knew where to go, even if she did not know the situation she would find there. Then she went back to the mountain, able to find the same cabin as before, but that was not to last. She went back to the yellow city, this time, maybe, to find what she truly needed, even if it meant facing her worst fears. Many fairy tales end with "happily ever after." This one ends on a happy moment, but that is not to say it would last forever. We can only hope.
Deerskin was a finalist for Locus and Mythopoeic awards, and was on the longlist (below the cutoff) for the Tiptree, which has recently been renamed the Otherwise. I should also note it is set within the same world, but not necessarily the same continent, as the Damar stories. No telling how close Lissar's original home or her new one is to Damar, but the legend of Aerin and the dragon Maur (from The Hero and the Crown) is known there.
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