Mister Magic
BY KIERSTEN WHITE
In Mister Magic, the Circle of Friends plays a game where they call out a color, and everyone can “taste” it. Kitty, Val’s sister, always calls out. “Sprinkle!” even though it is not a color. Give a nod to Kitty’s color choice and make your kid palate sing with this recipes for soft sprinkle pudding cookies courtesy of Cookies and Cups.
** Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for the chance to read Mister Magic in exchange for my honest review. **
When my daughter was little, we went on vacation and turned on PBS, hoping to find Curious George or Sesame Streetfor her to watch while we were getting ready.
Instead, Barney and Friends was on. One episode and she was hooked. As I read Kiersten White’s new book, Mister Magic, scenes from Barney played on a loop in my head.
Mister Magic centers around a group of adults who used to be on a children’s television show together. One of the women, Val, had locked away all memories of the show until her co-stars, known as “The Circle of Friends,” found her (at her father’s funeral, no less. Who does that?).
Val inexplicably leaves her father’s funeral and jumps in a car with these complete strangers so that she can travel to the middle of the desert, all without telling anyone where she was going. The co-stars explain that she was on a TV show called Mister Magic, and they are traveling to Utah in order to tape a reunion podcast. Val initially has no recollection of being on the show, but slowly vague memories start invading her psyche. She remember songs that they used to sing—songs that taught rules and “clean” ways to live. She also remembers the touch and feel of her friend, Isaac, who was always the one to look out for her. These memories along with the promise of meeting her biological mom are enough to make Val throw caution to the wind and make the trip to Utah.
Once the friends get to their destination, things immediately turn weird. The house, which is out in the middle of nowhere, is an architectural oddity. TVs come on by themselves in the middle of the night and cannot be shut off. The town surrounding the studio is perfect in the most creepy of ways. And, the person interviewing the friends for the podcast is somehow friendly, dark, and all-knowing all at the same time.
Val is soon confronted by the truth of her dark upbringing in the town of Bliss, taping Mister Magic with her circle of friends. The more she learns, the more questions she has. Why did her dad kidnap her and take her away from her mom? Why could she not remember that she had a sister? What happened to her sister? Why does she have vague memories of a fire? Val begins to notice the shape of the darkness as she unravels the truth of her past. Is it all a little too late?
When I read the premise of this book, I was excited to dig in to it. A book in the horror genre that plays off the subtle creepiness of Barney? Sign me up, please!
The further I got into the book, however, the more I grew to dislike it. The real story behind Mister Magic and the town of Bliss was odd and confusing. The reader is left having to twist the events around in their mind just to make sense of it all, and even then it’s not quite enough. I can’t even decide how to describe it…. philosophy meets theoretical physics meets supernatural horror? But not horror at the same time?
As I finished the last page, I felt a wave of disappointment that Mister Magic was not the horror I thought it was going to be. I also had a sneaking suspicion that I knew what was driving the allegory because it happens so often that I’m exhausted by it. One flip back to the author’s note confirmed my suspicions. The author ruthlessly attacked religion as a “terrible swath of destruction” and discussed her experiences that led her to write this book. Now, the author has every right to feel the way she feels and write the book she wants to write. I am not a member of the Mormon Church, so I cannot speak on behalf of that religion. Furthermore, a person’s individual family can contribute greatly to one’s experience with faith. Toxic families exist in all spaces. The Mormon families I personally know are incredibly sweet people. As somebody who is religious, however, I also have my own life experiences that I bring into reviewing books, and I have a right to express those as well. And in my world, my teenage daughter went through an entire school year where she got ruthlessly bullied by a group of kids in her school simply because they found out she was Christian. The school did nothing about it, and my daughter developed severe panic attacks. I don’t fault the author for sharing her view on life, but I am exhausted as a parent after the past year. I have the complete opposite experience over who is “petty” and “bigoted.” Thus, attacks on religion are a trigger warning for me.
I am really tired of the overwhelming negative depictions of religion in the publishing industry writ large. My problem isn’t with the authors—it’s with the publishers. Could we have just one contemporary fiction where religion is portrayed in a neutral or a positive light? Does every single mention of religion in contemporary fiction have to be a negative portrayal? Publishers, I’m tired. A lot of us are tired.
Rating: ⭐️
My Rating System Explained 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: This was an amazing book, and I can't stop thinking about it. It impacted me emotionally or changed my perspective. My thoughts keep flickering back to it at random times throughout the day. I will absolutely recommend it to my friends or to one of my book clubs. 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: This was a really good book. Parts of it stuck with me, and I might mention it in a conversation. There is a high likelihood that I will recommend it to my friends or to one of my book clubs. 3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️: I liked this book. It allowed me to escape from reality for a while. While I might tell somebody about it if I think it will interest them, I will probably not suggest it to one of my book clubs. 2 Stars ⭐️⭐️: There's something about this book that I didn't like. I wasn't willing to go all the way down to a one-star rating, but I'm definitely not digging it. I may recognize that this book is not for me, but it might be for other people. I will not recommend it to my friends or one of my book clubs. 1 Star ⭐️: My rarest rating. I really didn't like this book. Something in the story line upset me, and I probably "hate-read" the majority of the book. Not only will I not recommend it, but I will actively tell people that I did not like it.
Baking Through Book Club 