Finding Cinderella alludes to the “Cinderella” fairy tale. Fairy tales are cultural texts that explore fantastical, magical, or idealized narratives, often concluding with a happy ending. The “Cinderella” story has many parallel stories and retellings that date back thousands of years, including the well-known Brother’s Grimm retelling, but the modern-day retellings owe largely to the 1697 Cendrillon, written by Charles Perrault, which features the familiar pumpkin, glass slipper, and fairy godmother.

Finding Cinderella does not feature many of the elements that readers might expect from a “Cinderella” retelling, although the plot loosely follows the familiar fairy tale. The plot of Finding Cinderella seeks to expand on the original story, taking scant elements to craft a new narrative. Daniel, prone to nicknaming, bestows the nickname “Cinderella” on the mystery girl he meets in the maintenance closet.

Unlike the fairy tale, a year goes by, and Daniel is no closer to figuring out who his Cinderella is. In the fairy tale, Prince Charming visits every eligible girl in the kingdom, carrying the glass slipper that his mystery girl left behind at the ball. Daniel is not so lucky, with his Cinderella leaving nothing behind. It is not until Six states, “I know exactly what you mean. I hate everybody, too” (91), a month into their relationship, that the “glass slipper” moment occurs: This line echoes one of the first things Daniel and the mystery girl said to each other in the closet, and its repetition causes Six’s identity to finally click for Daniel.

Also, unlike the fairy tale, Six’s revelation that their chance encounter in the closet resulted in an unexpected pregnancy threatens their relationship. Because they did not know each other’s identities, Six felt resigned to putting the baby up for adoption during her exchange program in Italy. This plotline deviates from the original in that once Cinderella (Six) and Prince Charming (Daniel) find each other, their happy ending is not assured. They must make the hard decision to process their trauma and choose to remain together, forming their own happy ending after shared heartbreak.