Fiction with a dash of magic
When the world feels like a dark and uncertain place, some readers like to seek out books that have a little bit of magic around the edges. Here are some of our recent favourites.
The Witches of New York by Ami McKay
If you enjoy a combination of historical fiction and fantasy, you may like to pick up Ami McKay’s impeccably researched novel The Witches of New York. Set in the late nineteenth-century, this story is a bit like a feminist take on the world of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Witches Adelaide Thom and Eleanor St. Clair are taking advantage of the new craze for spiritualism among Manhattan elite society when a young woman named Beatrice appears on their doorstep. Bored with country life, and certain that there is more to the world than can be seen, Beatrice is determined to prove that witches can be made, not just born. Peppered throughout with clever modern parallels about reproductive rights, misogyny, and religion, The Witches of New York holds a mirror up to contemporary society and proves that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Faithful by Alice Hoffman
Alice Hoffman has been occupying the magical realism world for decades, with books such as Practical Magic and The Museum of Extraordinary Things listed in her back catalogue. Her new novel, Faithful, explores themes of love, faith, guilt and fate. Shelby Richmond and her best friend, Helene, are involved in a car accident that leaves one unscathed, and the other hospitalised. While the town descends into superstition, beatifying the comatose Helene, Shelby is left to deal with her survivor’s guilt.
The Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel
In 1984, the town of Breathed, Ohio is subjected to the worst heatwave on record. The heatwave co-incides with the arrival of a young boy who claims that he is the devil, invited by the town’s chief prosecutor, Autopsy Bliss. This debut novel digs deep into the dark heart of the small town, revealing undercurrents of racism, prejudice and mob mentality that are brought to the surface by the unrelenting heat.
Beauty is a Wound by Eka Kurniawan
Indonesian author Eka Kurniawan’s acclaimed debut novel, Beauty is a Wound, is an epic novel that combines history, satire, tragedy and magic to tell the story of prostitute Dewi Ayu, who is resurrected from her grave 21 years after her death, and the four daughters with whom she forms her dynasty. Drawing on folk stories and legends, this novel is a parable for Indonesia’s battle for independence.
An Almond for a Parrot by Wray Delaney
Wray Delaney is the pseudonym of award-winning children’s author Sally Gardner, but An Almond for a Parrot is a risqué historical novel that probably shouldn’t make its way into the hands of her young readers. Set in eighteenth-century London, parallels are quickly drawn with Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith, and Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber, and it begins with our heroine, Tully Truegood, awaiting her execution in Newgate Prison. Tully – an exceptional child with the gift for seeing ghosts – is sold into marriage at the age of 12, and by 16 is working at a notorious brothel that specialises in enchanted entertainments, the Fairy House.
To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey
Eowyn Ivey’s first novel, The Snow Child, took its inspiration from the Russian fairytale of the same name and transplanted it in 1920s Alaska. Her second, To the Bright Edge of the World, is based on fact – an expedition of soldiers, trappers, and Native Americans across the Wolverine River and into Alaska that took place in 1885. The narrative is interspersed with journal entries, letters, newspaper clippings and photographs that lend the story an authentic, almost documentary-like air, despite being imbued with elements of magic and Native American folklore.
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
In Colson Whitehead’s National Book Award-winning novel, 15-year-old Cora escapes her life of slavery via the Underground Railroad, here reimagined as a secret network of subterranean tracks and trains. Written in the style of Gulliver’s Travels, The Underground Railroad draws uncomfortable parallels with modern society, and sees Cora confronted by new challenges at every stop on her journey to freedom.
