Growing Up Free

To begin, I am a sucker for having a book recommended to me.  It makes me slightly crazy when someone has read a book I haven’t, tells me how great it was, and then stands there thinking “Don’t you wish you knew what I know?”  This book by Gregory Maguire, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West was actually recommended by two people simultaneously, and then given to me directly with the express directive to read it ASAP.  So, how could I resist reading it any longer?

Having recently received my undergraduate degree in English, I like to think I have a clever, if not valid, opinion on the literature I come in contact with.  Truth be told, I find that I am easy to please when it comes to fiction, as long as the author has an unique voice and there is at least a bit of artistic merit.  My favorites from school were Wilde, Hemingway, and other beautiful or rugged manly types who were either funny, honest, tormented, or all three.  Maguire seems to be in league with Christopher Moore, another favorite, who likes to use funny, easy to relate to characters, a sprinkle of violence, and just enough sex to make things interesting.  As you must know, Wicked is wildly popular, has it’s own wildly-popular Broadway play, is featured frequently in the wildly-popular TV show Glee…  Anyhow, I had high expectations going into it.

Wicked is slow to begin, although the prologue gave me a taste of what I wanted, which was some grounding of the book as it related to The Wizard of Oz.  There is no way I could have gone into this book separated from the film (which I am quite familiar with) or the book (of which I am a tad less familiar).  However, the author surely expects the reader to have some background in the previous story as to create a base for the ironic humor that Wicked derives from referencing the former.  On the other hand, there is a copious amount of ingenuity in the book, as it generates an entire back story about the sisters Elphaba and Nessarose who later become the wicked witches of the west and east, as well as Galinda (later the well-know Glinda who, in her enormous, sparkling, poofy dress, introduces Dorothy to Oz), and the Wizard himself.  While the story of Dorothy is well-known to those who take up Wicked, it is for the story and journey of the Wicked Witch herself that the readers continue.

The novel seems to have all the aspects of a well-liked book, such as love interest and a bit of sexual intrigue, dastardly political doings in the Emerald City, questions of the self and destiny, good and evil, friendship, family, the soul… honestly, the themes in this book are endless.  It was written well, obviously with a specific audience in mind: those who know the movie and could stand for it to have been a little more naughty.  With more focus on the witch and the story of the history of Oz, the novel uses The Wizard of Oz merely as a starting point, catapulting the tale into a modern, refreshing twist.  Specifically, you do not wish for Dorothy to get what she wants, because she is frankly a little obnoxious.

Good vs. Evil is one of the prominent themes explored in Wicked, with the characters who are considered “good” (Glinda, Nessarose, and Dorothy) to be the ones who fail their subjects, turn their gaze from the corruption in Oz, or are adored for unfounded reasons.  Elphaba, naturally being the “evil” character, does all sorts of good in her own way, such as demanding rights for Animals (or animals with consciousness) and striving to protect Oz from the nefarious Wizard.  While the reader roots for Elphaba,  they find themselves at the same time questioning her lack of motherly feelings towards Liir, most prominently when he is forgotten in the well and nearly dies, and her adultery with Fiyero.  Even with her lack of concern for Liir, the experiments she performs on her monkeys (she’s supposed to love Animals just because they are conscious, I suppose), and her half-way revenge on Madame Morrible, Elphaba shows her humanity with her love for Fiyero and wanting to make good with his widow Sarima.  It’s not so much a “love conquers all” sort of thing, but rather a “everybody loves somebody”, even if they’re green or they have a wife and three children.  You gotta feel for a character whose heart gets broken…

Overall, I really did enjoy this book.  The familiar characters are different than you remember, and the new ones are even better.  Afterward, you may not want to end up in the Emerald City, but you’re willing to give the villain her fair shake.  I can’t wait to jump into Maguire’s follow-up, Son of a Witch, and see what becomes of Liir and the others after the witch’s death.  Oops!  Well, I suppose you saw it coming.