Do You Believe in Magic?
“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.”
The dictionary describes magical as ‘beautiful or delightful in such a way as to seem removed from everyday life’. Recently, I’ve allowed the magical to slip back into my life. I expect that it is this aging journey I am on that is opening me up to once again believe in the impossible.
As a young girl, living in the Netherlands, I remember walks with my father and how he would point out the hollows in trees where gnomes, or kabouters, lived. I imagined gnome children scaling trees and riding on the backs of rabbits and then, exhausted, falling asleep on beds made of bird feathers and moss. I learned that gnomes also lived in mushroom houses and I can still see my little 4-year-old hand drawing white-stemmed mushrooms with red caps, always drawn with a front door and two windows. I was fascinated by this world that I never saw evidence of, but truly believed existed.
This magical world disappeared with the harsh realities of adolescence and did not resurface until twenty years later when I became a mother. My father introduced his granddaughters to the gnomes living in the neighbourhood and along the forest trails where we would walk. He also introduced them to the world created by Rien Poortvliet, stories and illustrations of how these gnomes lived their lives. Poortvliet captured all aspects of gnome life and I can hear my girls giggling when they found out that gnome children wear diapers until the age of twelve. I also remember their looks of disgust to see an illustration of a troll picking his nose! Children have a way of reminding you that the impossible is possible.
My girls were young enough to still believe in magic when the movie, Fairy Tale: A True Story, was released in 1997. Two girls discover fairies in a meadow by their house and gain international notoriety when they share photos of the fairies. Based on a true story from 1917 about the Cottingley Fairies, one of the girls, Frances Griffiths, insisted, until her death in 1986, that one of the photos was genuine. Isn’t there a small part in all of us that wishes that the story were true?
Magical moments faded once again as my girls grew up and the realities of everyday life returned. Advances in technology made the stark realities of world events that much more real, and it was near impossible to believe in magic. Anything that appeared anywhere close to magical was quickly debunked.
Then, two years ago, I borrowed Diane Setterfield’s latest book from the library. Her book, The Thirteenth Tale had been a thoroughly enjoyable read a few years earlier and I was looking forward to reading Once Upon a River. Setterfield took me to a place where folklore met reality, a mystical place that had me trying to unravel truth from fantasy. Then I read Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vendarah and I began to believe in magic again. This book was mesmerizing, one of the best books I have ever read – and I have read a lot of books! I had discovered the world of magical realism, a literary style that weaves threads of fantasy into depictions of everyday life. Where the Forest Meets the Stars is a story about love, trust, and relationships. Vendarah introduces us to Joanna Teale who has returned to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois after the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer. And then we meet Ursa, a young girl who appears in Joanna’s driveway and claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles.
And so, while I continue to lose myself in murder mysteries, this new genre has captivated me. These books push the boundaries of my reality and enhance everyday experiences with a touch of mystery that leaves me questioning what I believe in. While the psychological thrillers that I usually read sometimes leave me numb, this genre of books makes me feel happy, even when the stories include poignant and heart-breaking plot lines.
Since my introduction to Setterfield, I have read many books that have transported me with their magic. I’ve added them to my Resources page if you’re interested in exploring this genre.
Last week I loaned my copy of Midnight at the Blackbird Café (Heather Webber) to my daughter and I have a waitlist of friends wanting to read it next. Who can resist a story about pies that make people dream, and blackbirds that only fly at midnight?
On Tuesday, Canada Post delivered The Memory Collectors, a debut novel by local author, Kim Neville. Oh, Kim, you have absolutely transported me once again! The main character in this book, Ev, can feel the emotions people leave behind on objects, emotions that provide healing to those who need it most—or pain to those who do not know how to let go. Another magical book I highly recommend you add to your reading list! And next on my reading list is The Centaur’s Wife by Amanda Leduc. I suspect this book may offer a bit more fantasy than I am comfortable with but I am looking forward to pushing my boundaries.
The older and wiser I get, the more I recognize that not everything can be explained. There is a comfort in knowing that I am only a small cog in this vast world. Every year new and amazing things are proven to be true, others remain elusive. As Roald Dahl wrote, if I don’t believe in magic, I will never find it. And why wouldn’t I believe in a bit of magic, when it brings wonder and happiness into my life? I still catch myself looking for gnome houses when I am walking forest trails. I believe that the kingfisher that visits our island pond brings messages from my dead father. And I read books infused with magic.
Have you read any of these books? Are there others you can recommend? Or maybe there’s a movie you’ve seen recently that pushes the realities of life in a joyful way? I’d love your recommendations!