Wicked

Wicked

by Gregory Maguire

Fiction

406 pages

****

"You're my soul come scavenging for me, I can feel it." said the Witch. "I won't have it, I won't have it. I won't have a soul; with a soul there is everlastingness, and life has tortured me enough."

Teaser

When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale, we only heard her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious Witch? Where did she come from? how did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil?

Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkindlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability, and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to become the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly, and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.

Review

I found this book very interesting. It started out a little strange, but the book is well written, and the discussion and internal conflict of Elphaba are amazing. What is waiting for us in the afterlife? Why do we do the things we do? Does everyone possess a soul? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? This book is great, and a book that really makes you think. All Elphaba wants is to be forgiven. But by who? Herself, the Unnamed God(from the story), or her peers? This book was great, and it had one of the best endings I have ever read. But then again, I have a thing for unhappy endings. This book was a whole new experience, and I hope if you read it you enjoy it as much as i did.