Review "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire

"Wicked" is the story of the Wicked Witch of the West in the Land of Oz. But this book takes all your perceptions of the story and the situation and turns them upside down. (Why did Glinda the Good Witch give Dorothy the ruby slippers and send her to the Wizard? Why because the shoes were a symbol of Munchkinland independence and could lead to war with Oz if they stayed in the country.......This is the kind of thing that happens in the story.)

The Witch (Elphaba) is a very interesting and complex character. Does she end up calling herself the Wicked Witch of the West? Yes, she does. But is she truly wicked? One of the key themes of the novel is the nature of evil. Who, or what, in the story is evil? And the story is complex enough that it is not an easy question to answer. Maguire does a good job a weaving complicated plots and then seeing them from the perception of different characters.

I would recommend this book - it was very good. It is not for children who like the Oz story - this is a complicated adult book that includes sex, violence, political intrigue, religion, and magic.

While it is difficult to see where he will go with the story, I will probably read the sequel "Son of a Witch" in the next few months.