09/22/2014
During a stage show on Halloween night in the year 1900, 17-year-old Olivia Mead is hypnotized by Henri Reverie, a dashing young mesmerist visiting Portland, Ore., from Montreal. The hypnosis is such a success that Olivia’s controlling father hires Henri to render Olivia proper and docile, eliminating her free spirit, passion for a career, and growing support of the women’s suffrage movement. However, Henri deceives Olivia’s father with slippery language, commanding Olivia to “see the world the way it truly is,” and only be able to say the words “all is well” in response. Suddenly, Olivia’s father and other misogynistic citizens appear to her as terrifying vampiric creatures, women are seen in cages or vanishing into thin air, and those who support women’s rights glow “with breathtaking luminescence.” A subtle setup this is not, but Winters (In the Shadow of Blackbirds) creates a rich, gothic backdrop (further brought to life through period photographs and illustrations) for a story that will open many readers’ eyes to historical injustices inflicted on women—injustices with plenty of present-day parallels. Ages 12–up. Agent: Barbara Poelle, Irene Goodman Agency. (Oct.)
Morris Award finalist Cat Winters loves a good ghost story. Her knockout young adult debut, In the Shadow of Blackbirds, tackled World War I, the Spanish flu, séances, and the weight of souls. In her The Cure for Dreaming, 1900 Oregon was the backdrop for a tale of young woman freeing her suppressed independence during the rise of hypnotism.
A genre that defies easy categorization, magical realism is often associated with the work of Latin American authors such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez (100 Years of Solitude) and Laura Esquivel (Like Water For Chocolate). In magical realism, mystical or fantastic events are rendered as everyday occurrences. The extraordinary and the ordinary are intertwined; inseparable. In recent years, […]
As the younger, more laidback portion of the United States, the West Coast is home to California, Oregon, and Washington—states united by their miles of pacific coastline, proclivity for farming and fishing, and IH-5. As latecomers to the U.S. game, they’ve earned a reputation for a chill sort of vibe. Known for drop-dead gorgeous scenery and […]
Life is complicated and messy and rarely (if ever) easy, especially in the best fantasy novels. I love it when a book’s magic system is just as difficult and full of consequences as the rest of its world, instead of functioning as a simple, easily manipulated gift. Want to curse your enemies? Fine, but be […]