Simply Wicked

I'll start by saying that children shouldn't read this book.

The rest of you MUST give it a read. It really is THAT good.

I bought this book at Borders sometime in July. I didn't buy it because it received fantastic reviews when it was released in 1995. Heck, I didn't even know there's such a book called Wicked back in 1995. How the heck did this part of the world miss out on such a book all those years ago? I bought this out of intuition and out of curiosity after reading that mini summary on the back cover.

I still can't stop thanking my intuition.

I finished the book after reading it for three nights in a row. I would finish my work for the night by midnight and decided to read 'one chapter or so' before retiring for the night. ... I slept at 3am+ in those three nights.

The book is so good, I just had to find time to write this review.

Okay, let's back up a little. What's Wicked all about? Well, any kid of the 80's or the 90's will recognize the name 'Wicked Witch of the West'. The arch-nemesis of Dorothy in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! The villain in the Land of Oz, the final boss in Dorothy's journey to return home. Remember how we used to root for Dorothy in that final battle? Yeah, me too.

However, think about this for a moment. Do you know of any rhyme or reason for you to hate the Witch? What did she do? Who was she? We don't even know who she really is. So maybe the only reason we think of the Witch as a villain is because we were told that she is one.

And so Gregory Maguire chose to tell the story of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the other side. Here's the version of Oz that was told from the eyes of the Wicked Witch. Here's the true story of the Land of Oz.

(no spoilers, don't worry)

The story opens with a prologue. Dorothy and pals (the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion) are on the Yellow Brick Road, on their way to the Emerald City. Unbeknown to them, the Wicked Witch of the West is spying on them and listening to their conversations. The gang discussed what little they have heard of the Witch. "She is the spurned lover of a married man," says one. "She is a married man," says another. Hearing these words, the Witch felt rage building up inside her. And she almost pounced on Dorothy when she saw that Dorothy's infamous ruby slippers are the same ones that belonged to her sister.

Gregory Maguire is smart. He knows that we all grew up hating the Witch. Our allegiance has always been to Dorothy. Kill the Witch, we thought. She deserves it. And so he begins the novel by bringing up those old feelings. We start reading the novel knowing that we have hatred for the Witch. And now with these old feelings upfront, Gregory Maguire works his magic.

So the novel begins.

The whole story is a wild ride through the Land of Oz. It starts with the Witch's birth, difficult childhood, school years and finally adult life. Each stage of the journey fleshes out the Witch as a person. As the story progresses, we are brought to understand the hardships that she went through as we come to understand how the Witch became who she is.

And each step of the way, we are brought on a tour of the Land of Oz. Portrayed here isn't the sunshine world of happiness and bliss as was seen by the oh-so-naive Dorothy. Here's Oz in all its glory and shadow. Here's a world we can relate to, a fantastic and yet plausible world. A far cry from the wonderland that we grew up believing it to be. And the best part? Gregory Maguire has managed to make this darker, more mature version of Oz so compatible to the original world envisioned by L. Frank Baum.

As I mentioned earlier, this isn't a book for children. This book makes no pretenses about this. There's (lots of) sex, murder, infidelity and various other stuff not suitable for younger readers. The descriptions doesn't hold back either. While some may consider these elements unnecessary, I personally believe that their inclusion was vital to fully fit Maguire's painting of Oz into the image he envisioned.

And at the end of it all, you will finish reading the book feeling for the Witch. When you have turned the last page, think. How do you feel about the Witch now? On Page One, you despised her. What about now, at the end? I certainly felt for her. I was moved. I even said out loud, "Cibai, Dorothy."

I will never look at the Land of Oz the same way again.