"The Rules of Magic" by Alice Hoffman

The Rules of Magic is a prequel to Practical Magic, which I reviewed in my previous post a short time ago. The Rules of Magic just came out yesterday, and it being an Alice Hoffman novel, it did take me a bit longer to get through it. As I mentioned before, her writing is quite descriptive and tends to have few dialogues. She is, however, a master of creating very vivid and atmospheric settings.

In The Rules of Magic we learn the backstory of the Owens aunts, Jet and Franny, whom the girls in Practical Magic come to live with in Massachusetts. We get to see Jet, Franny and their bother Vincent since the time they were little kids growing up in Manhattan and up to the point when the story of Practical Magic begins.

One thing I noted immediately especially since I read Practical Magic right before the prequel is that The Rules of Magic does not have the same dreamlike and mystical atmosphere. In addition, unlike the heroines of Practical Magic, the three Owens siblings in this book recognize their magic abilities early on and start experimenting with them. We also get a more detailed backstory on their ancestor Maria Owens who built the house on Magnolia Street and in many ways began the family legacy. Moreover, Hoffman finally places Maria in Salem. She still does not mention the town, but she does name the judge – Hathorne and there are numerous references to his famous literary descendant Nathaniel Hawthorne.

The overall theme of being true to oneself is strongly present in this novel. In addition, the Ownes children struggle with the curse which was supposedly put on all family members by Maria Ownes, and according to which something terrible will happen to the person they fall in love with.  Franny, Jet and Vincent are all scared of being in love for this reason. But slowly they do find the cure. The novel ends with: “Know that the only remedy for love is to love more” – I just love this idea. Loving more could mean taking chances, being brave and not being afraid to look like a fool. It can also mean loving someone enough to let them go and be happy with someone else, i.e. loving selflessly. It is a powerful idea.

Another quote that I underlined in my e-version of the book warns against knowing one’s fate. It reads: “Life is a mystery, and it should be so, for the sorrow that accompanies being human and the choices one will have to make are a burden, too heavy for most to know before their time comes.”

5 out of 5 stars. I received an e-ARC of this novel from Netgalley.