Is Magical Realism My Genre?
This is a question I ask myself every time I read a magic
realism! Do I enjoy it? Is this a genre I enjoy?
When I look at other members of the book community there are
two clear sides: those who absolutely love magical realism and would fight to
death over it and those who don’t! I know there are a few people in the middle
like me but most people tend to be one side or the other, which is what I want
to figure out – which side am I?
I enjoy magical realism for the – well – magical parts of it and how the author
manages to weave magic into our mundane world. I love seeing what authors come
up with and whether they go for a subtle approach or a full-on, in your face
approach.
But the flip side of my relationship with magical realism is
often it’s very confusing and I don’t actually see how the ‘magical’ parts
relate. Because the magical realism world is often built quite ‘trickly’, I find
it difficult to understand what’s real and what’s not – especially when the
author writes it in a way to intend that!
And that’s pretty much how I felt about Bone Gap by Laura
Ruby!
About the book.
Author: Laura Ruby
Pages: 383
Publisher: Faber And Faber
Published on: 29 December 2016
Published on: 29 December 2016
Synopsis: Everyone knows Bone Gap is full of gaps—gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren’t surprised. After all, it wasn’t the first time that someone had slipped away and left Finn and Sean O’Sullivan on their own. Just a few years before, their mother had high-tailed it to Oregon for a brand new guy, a brand new life. That’s just how things go, the people said. Who are you going to blame?
Finn knows that’s not what happened with Roza. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember. But the searches turned up nothing, and no one believes him anymore. Not even Sean, who has more reason to find Roza than anyone, and every reason to blame Finn for letting her go.As we follow the stories of Finn, Roza, and the people of Bone Gap—their melancholy pasts, their terrifying presents, their uncertain futures—acclaimed author Laura Ruby weaves a heartbreaking tale of love and loss, magic and mystery, regret and forgiveness—a story about how the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are. (source)
Finn knows that’s not what happened with Roza. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember. But the searches turned up nothing, and no one believes him anymore. Not even Sean, who has more reason to find Roza than anyone, and every reason to blame Finn for letting her go.As we follow the stories of Finn, Roza, and the people of Bone Gap—their melancholy pasts, their terrifying presents, their uncertain futures—acclaimed author Laura Ruby weaves a heartbreaking tale of love and loss, magic and mystery, regret and forgiveness—a story about how the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are. (source)
Genre: Young Adult, Magical Realism
Thank you to Allen And Unwin Australia for providing me a review copy however this is an honest review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
My thoughts.
Going into this, I had heard really amazing things! The cover
has many author reviews, talking about how fab this book is and it says it’s
won the Michael L. Printz Award (I have zero clue about what this actually is
but it sounds fancy and important so) meaning I had high expectations going in!
The blurb also seems incredibly interesting and the cover just alludes to this
intricate, beautifully written and tricky book which I was all for!
And not to say this book didn’t have redeemable qualities –
because it certainly did! – but more than tricky, I often found the magical
realism aspects hard to grasp! The characters lived in a world where internet
and cars were a thing but their lives seemed quite rudimentary at the same
time! And when the magical realism aspect of this came into play, it was
difficult to get my head around it, especially since it was very vaguely
explained.
Maybe it’s because I’m not very ‘good’ at reading magical
realism, maybe it’s because I didn’t get it or maybe it’s because it simply was
confusing but I found myself feeling a little ‘meh’ about the magical realism
aspect! However, let’s now talk about all it’s other redeemable qualities I mentioned
before!
There were time and POV jumps throughout the book which, if
done in another book, would have annoyed me tremendously, but Ruby makes it
work! It just adds to the whole mysterious aura around the book and builds
anticipation and tension!
And on that note, the writing in this was quite splendid! It
was easy to understand (except for the magical realism parts) and the whimsical
style of writing worked incredibly well with this book! The way Ruby creates
her twists and turns in the plot were also incredibly well done and it was
thrilling to watch it all unfold!
The characters were well written even if they lacked connection
with the reader and often seemed quite distant. It just meant there was more
intrigue and I found it worked! Can we also just take a moment to appreciate this
book for having lots of animals – please and thank you – because animals in
books are a must and it needs to be a law already!
Overall, just because I was disappointed with the magical
realism aspect didn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the book! It was an interesting, well
written and intriguing read I’m sure a lot of you will find you enjoy.
And in case you’re wondering, no I have not yet given up on
magical realism as a genre because I still have a few more books I want to read
before I make up my mind such as When The Moon Was Ours and The Secret Of A Heart Note!
OVERALL RATING:
★★★½
Have you read Bone
Gap? What did you think? And what are your thoughts on magical realism as a
genre? Let me know below!
20 happy thoughts
I think I'm more like you, I have a love hate relationship with magical realism. Mostly, they are a miss for me and I find it hard to grasp the concept of magical realism in the books. But when I found one that finally clicks, it's become an absolute favorite! I'm sorry you did not enjoy this one, I never read this one but I keep my expectations low since I don't usually click with magical realism :D I hope your next read would be better!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tasya! And yes, I find it hard to read a magical realism book that clicks! Thanks for taking the time to read and comment!
DeleteI do agree that there needs to be more animals in books! Especially those dealing with magic. I think it's an interesting aspect to read from. I haven't read Bone Gap yet, but the synopsis and the cover is intriguing.
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy it whenever you get around to reading it!
DeleteThe Secret of a Heart Note isn't really magical realism, just 'alternate world' where things are a bit different. Anyway, I keep meaning to read this, because it sounds excellent. I want to try some more magical realism, like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but I do sometime find it overwhelming, I guess? Like the magic unfocuses the narrative. But there are lots of cool things you can do with such a premise, so. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteShanti @Virtually Read
Aha ok, thanks for letting me know because I hadn't known that! No problem Shanti and I hope you get around to reading this soon!
DeleteI know exactly what you mean! Magical realism is a genre that I enjoy, but it has to be done right. If it becomes too confusing, I typically just give up. I have never read The Bone Gap, but I can see how it might be hard to read and enjoy. I love how you combined a discussion into your review. You made me think and I haven't had a cup of coffee yet. ;)
ReplyDeleteAHA OMG THIS IS THE BEST COMPLIMENT EVER! I wasn't sure how it'd work out and I'm glad to hear someone enjoyed it so thank you for making my day! <3 Enjoy your coffee ;)
DeleteI loved this one, but I love magical realism. I definitely understand that it's not for everyone! I think I have to suspense my disbelief more with that genre than any other. I'm happy you were able to still enjoy it! Great review!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Lori! <3
DeleteGreat review Anisha! I don't think I've actually read books with magical realism so I definitely should check this one out!
ReplyDeleteYAY! Thanks Steph! <3
DeleteI'm probably somewhere in the middle for magical realism. I think it just depends on the book for me. I haven't read this particular book but it does sound interesting. Maybe someday I'll check it out!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and commenting Sara! <3
DeleteMagical realism is the one genre I've still yet to venture into even though I have so many books from the genre on my TBR. This one being one that is high up there because I've heard such good things. I think I'm worried it'll end up being a genre I can't wrap my head around so I've kept pushing off reading any of them lol. One of these day I will though. Anyway! Sorry this one ended up not completely living up to your expectations but it's great that you found aspects that you really enjoyed. Great review as always, Anisha!! :)
ReplyDeleteYOU'RE TOO KIND MELISSA! <333
DeleteMagical realism is a really tricky genre. Sometimes it works really well, and sometimes it just doesn't? I think it's the fact that the story has magical and supernatural elements in it, but it still needs to feel like something that could happen in real life?
ReplyDeleteYES YES YES 100%
DeleteI'm JUST like you. I won't stand up and fight for magical realism but I most definitely don't hate it either. I think my first experience that I can remember, or rather the first time I could properly attribute the term Magical Realism was during the Raven Boys series which I LOVED.
ReplyDeleteMy best friend read and loved this book and hopefully I will too. Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful review.
Aditi @ http://athousandwordsamillionbooks.blogspot.in/
No problem Aditi, thanks for taking the time to comment!
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