Trap for Cinderella (novel)

Trap for Cinderella is a psychological thriller novel written by Sébastien Japrisot (pseudonym of Jean-Baptiste Rossi), first published in French in 1963 as Piège pour Cendrillon. It was translated into English by Helen Weaver.

The novel centers around Michèle Isola, a young woman who awakens in a hospital after a devastating fire in a villa. She suffers from amnesia and severe burns, rendering her unrecognizable. As Michèle recovers, she attempts to piece together her identity and the events leading up to the fire. She is aided by a nurse, only known as “The Nurse”, who acts as her confidante and attempts to help her recall her memories.

The narrative is fragmented and unreliable, with Michèle’s memories returning in flashes and often contradicting one another. The reader is drawn into Michèle's struggle as she tries to determine who she truly is and the nature of her relationship with a mysterious woman named Dominique, who may have been present at the time of the fire.

The novel explores themes of identity, memory, guilt, and the psychological effects of trauma. The reader is kept guessing until the end, as the truth about Michèle's past and the circumstances surrounding the fire are gradually revealed through unreliable narration and subjective viewpoints. Japrisot masterfully crafts a suspenseful and unsettling atmosphere, utilizing psychological realism to delve into the complexities of the human mind.

Trap for Cinderella has been adapted into film several times, including a French film in 1965 directed by André Cayatte, and a British film in 2013 directed by Iain Softley. These adaptations, while varying in their interpretation of the source material, maintain the core mystery and psychological themes of the original novel.