Episode 11: Enchanted with Magical Realism

Books and Tea Podcast

This week, Kyrie and Cori discuss a genre they both love–Magical Realism! As usual, listeners are given a brief overview of the history of magical realism along with some classic examples. During their discussion, Kyrie and Cori drink their own beverages, with Kyrie drinking a delicious sweet beet juice (we recorded at lunch time!) while Cori sips on that thing called H2O.

Kyrie picked The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw. This story follows Ida around an otherworldly island as her disease starts to take over, she falls in love, she tries to find a cure, but ultimately she dies. This is what magical realism is in every sense of the word for Kyrie. It has all the elements she likes–a strong female protagonist, love, and a little bit of the unknown. A beautiful book. Not only was the prose and description beautiful (and not overwhelming), but the cover was beautiful too.

Cori picked Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, which has had all sorts of buzz since its release last year. It was a different sort of magical realism with doors randomly appearing and allowing people to travel through to different countries. It is set in a world that is ours, but not quite ours. A young couple in love leave their conflict filled, unnamed Middle Eastern country in hopes of a better life. It seems like the whole world might be at a war, as there are people from all over the place traveling to new locations to run away from whatever is happening in their own country. However, they sometimes discover they are not welcomed in the new country. Hmmm. Can’t even imagine that, can we? Cori points out some similarities about both books.

Other Magical Realism books mentioned:

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez,

Beloved and Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende

Coming Up Next Week, Kyrie and Cori explore the genre of Sci Fi!

Kyrie’s Pick: Dune by Frank Herbert
Cori’s Pick: Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick.

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References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_realism