Magical realism (also called magic realism) has been popularized in the past several decades with many roots in Latin American literature. It’s often categorized as a sub-genre of fantasy, while posing as realistic literary fiction. Like literary fiction, this genre focuses on the human condition, but does so while delivering themes with magical elements. Instead of exploring a new world, magic realism books introduce a small element of magic in a realistic world paralleled to our own. This element is often presented as a commonplace part of reality without need of explanation. As a result, novels of this genre can shine light on real-world problems in a unique way. This list should provide you with a starting point in magic realism with books that can be found at the Logos library, unless otherwise indicated.
*All descriptions written by Kaylee Brewer
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Book Thief is a historical fiction novel with a magic realism twist found in Zusak’s choice of narrator. Within the first few pages, Death introduces himself and explains that he is here to recount the story of Liesel, a young girl growing up in Nazi Germany. The first time Death encounters Liesel is the moment her brother dies—just before she commits her first of many acts of book thievery. Liesel’s world is filled with darkness and struggles, but with reading, maybe Liesel can find a source of light after all. This is a coming-of-age novel about literature, love, and loss that’s not quite like any other book you’ve read before.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
One Hundred Years of Solitude is a classic novel of magic realism. Many critics will even cite this book as the first published novel of the genre. One Hundred Years of Solitude follows the Buendia household, spanning multiple generations. Since it covers such an extensive period of time, the novel predominately narrows its focus on turning points for the Buendia family such as births, marriages, and deaths. The family settles in a fictional town called Macondo. Here, Marquez blends elements of realistic historical fiction and supernatural elements. In a subtle way, this novel reads like a myth or legend, but with a more realistic backdrop.
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
Welcome to Bone Gap, Illinois—a small town where everyone knows everybody and their business. When a foreign young woman goes missing, teenager Finn is the only person in town who claims to have seen a mysterious figure take her away. The only problem: no one fits his description and there’s no evidence of a kidnapping. Like the rest of the townsfolk, Sean, Finn’s older brother, believes she simply left town after her short stay, but Finn is determined not to lose another person between the gaps of their town. This is a deep read for a young adult novel, filled with profound themes and motifs.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab (Available through ILL)
It’s 1714 in France and young Adeline LaRue needs to find a way out of an arranged marriage and seize control of her fate again. In an act of pure desperation, she makes a deal with a dark, mysterious figure in the woods one night. As a result, she’s cursed with an immortal life where she’s forgotten by anyone she knows and anyone she later meets. This is a character-driven story that spans continents and lifetimes. The “invisible” life is one that’s filled with solitude and frustration, but when Addie meets someone in 2014 in New York City, and he recognizes her the next time she sees him, Addie wonders if her fate to be forgotten is changing.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
This is more of a philosophical read, so if you’re looking for a book to make you think, look no further. This is the story of a boy and a tiger in the middle of a vast ocean. Piscine “Pi” Patel is a teenage boy, whose life drastically changes after a shipwreck, and he is left alone with a tiger on a small lifeboat. Survival isn’t easy, and to do what needs to be done with a hungry predator watching just feet away will prove to be a challenge. There’s little chance of rescue, so Pi will have to find the resolve within himself to persevere. This is a story of nature, survival, and faith.
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
In the midst of the Great Recession, Clay Jannon is a former web designer in desperate need of a job. When he notices a local San Francisco bookstore with a help wanted sign posted in the window, Clay applies and is hired as a night clerk. Even after a few short shifts, Clay begins to realize that this is no ordinary bookstore. Not only is it open twenty-four hours a day, but the few patrons are the same patrons—ones that don’t even purchase anything. Instead, they have permission from Mr. Penumbra to “check out” the thick, mysterious tomes on the highest shelves. When Clay starts to recognize a pattern with these patrons, he decides there must be something more going on, and he is determined to uncover what it is.
Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All by Laura Ruby
During the Great Depression in Chicago, Frankie and her sister must navigate a tumultuous world while growing up with a deceased mother and a somewhat absent father. Because of financial struggles, Frankie and her sister are sent to live in an orphanage with several other almost-orphans. Being reprimanded by nuns and eating barely edible food proves to be difficult for Frankie. All she wants is for her family to be whole again. The magic twist to this story is that it is told through a ghost’s perspective of a girl close to Frankie’s age, who also watched the world struggle through a world war. Her hope is that Frankie can find the peace in life that she herself craved.
The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young (Available through ILL)
The Unmaking of June Farow handles multiple genres seamlessly: historical fiction, mystery, romance, and of course, magic realism. After the death of her grandmother, June Farrow has never felt quite this alone, but it’s more than just grief on her mind. In the small town of Jasper, North Carolina, the Farrows are known for a curse where eventually, they lose their sanity. The last time Jasper witnessed this was when June’s mother snapped just before she disappeared, leaving behind her infant daughter. And now, June fears the curse is coming for her next. She’s started hearing distant voices calling for her and seeing a door in the middle of fields—hallucinations she fears her mother may have experienced just before she vanished. June is determined to find what exactly caused her mother to disappear in hopes of keeping herself from doing the same. To uncover the answers she seeks, she’ll have to take a step of faith—right through the door only she can see.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Sometimes it’s hard to swallow the consequences of our choices. This is the main theme Matt Haig explores in The Midnight Library. Imagine that, within the split second before you die, you’re given the chance to see how changing your regrets would have changed the course of your life. After a series of misfortunes, Norah decides her regrets in life are too heavy and overdoses. She finds herself in The Midnight Library—a place that exists outside of time and reality filled with an infinite number of books, each posing as a potential life missed. Norah can select a book and jump into it. If she loves it, she can continue living there and will eventually forget everything from her previous life. But there’s a catch: if at any moment she is filled with disappointment, she finds herself back at The Midnight Library. The real task is finding a life worth living.
Kaylee Brewer’s reviews reflect her personal opinions and not necessarily those of the library or university.
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