Briar Rose consists of alternating chapters of main story and flashback, a form broken in later pages by the sustained narration needed to resolve the plot. The construction is one of many evidences of Yolen's remarkable artistry. The theme of innocence and goodness victimized by horrific evil is greatly enhanced by the shifts between Gemma's storytelling to small children, and the adult Becca's garnering of grim details. The technique of applying fairy-tale motifs to the events of the Holocaust is a masterful conception that delivers great emotional impact.
Images and words evocative of the fairy tale recur to sustain theme and power. For instance, Gemma's wooden box of old papers has a carved rose and briar on its top. While storytelling about the red-haired princess, "Gemma touched her own hair in which strands of white.....
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