In the author interview in the back of my book, Arden talks about Anna as someone who is sympathetic, but a character that she ultimately did not think was “strong enough” to survive, unlike Vasya, who was unapologetically herself even until the end. As far as characters go, Anna was the one who “did everything right” as much as she could–she married a much older man her father picked out for her, despite her wishes to join a convent, raised a “good” child, supported the church and trusted the leaders there for support and guidance, and rejected everything “bad” as much as she could–but eventually, her self-hatred and fears allow her to be led to her own tragic downfall.
As a princess quickly married off to an unknown lord in the wilderness for her father’s political alliances, Anna takes out her anger on the disobedient Vasya and turns to religious piety as her sole source of comfort. Anna shares Vasya’s gift of being able to see mythical creatures, but unlike the forest-born Vasya, who befriends and tries to learn from them, Anna views the creatures as devils and manifestations of her own madness that must be avoided and purged at all costs. Anna is the typical fairytale “wicked stepmother” figure in Vasya’s story, and a lot of the abuse she hurls at Vasya seems to stem from a sort of self-hatred and lack of control in her own life. Enter Anna Ivanovna, one of the minor antagonists, but to me one of the most interesting characters in the book.
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