An unremarkable harried contemporary woman, named Gretel, finds herself at mid life overtaken by the Grimm's household tale Hansel and Gretel. The witch, the sugar house, Gretels brother, her passive father, his cruel second wife, the sinister forestall these and more rise like jazz motifs to play themselves in the present. Addressing themes such as hunger, child abuse, betrayal, cannibalism, and murder in a tone by turns disturbing and humorous, Why the House is Made of Gingerbread is most certainly not a book for children.