Book Review: Practical Magic

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's an unusual occurrence when a movie is better than the book that inspired it, but the film adaptation of Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic might be the rare exception. Although I didn't see the film version of Practical Magic until 25 years after its release, I was pleasantly surprised by the movie's (semi-)feminist approach to adulthood and the heartfelt portrayal of the Owens sisters. Of course, my experience watching the film may or may not have been tempered by my nostalgic 1990s-era crush on Nicole Kidman... but I digress.

So, after *finally* watching the film adaptation, I picked up a copy of Practical Magic in September - just on the cusp of "spooky season." While I knew going in that Hoffman's novel wouldn't be horror, per se, I still hoped that it would inspire what my older daughter calls "the pumpkin spice spirit." Did this book do the trick(-or-treat)? Sort of.

Practical Magic is a sweet, sentimental look at growing up, navigating complex relationships, and thwarting the threats of middle age. In the novel, Hoffman (witch)crafts a tale involving two sisters, women as opposite as yin and yang: brooding Sally and carefree/careless Gillian. Following the untimely deaths of their parents, the sisters are raised by their aunts, Jet and Franny; though the sisters turn out (relatively) normal, they process their childhood trauma in disparate ways. Gillian is the quintessential party girl: pretty, popular, charismatic, and plagued by rash behavior. Sally, on the other hand, is a widowed single mother doing her best to raise her own daughters. After years apart, the estranged Gillian returns home and sets in motion a series of events that culminate in a haunting that brings all the surviving Owens women together. Ultimately, though, the power of kinship overcomes calamity.

Though I enjoyed reading Hoffman's original source material, the book is plagued by an overabundance of characters and a meandering plot. The film adaptation does succeed in streamlining these distractions, but the novel feels bogged down by its own cast of characters. There are simply too many ingredients in the cauldron for the recipe to succeed. Yet, for all its flaws, there are some clever, insightful "golden lines" sprinkled throughout the novel: "The moon is always jealous of the heat of the day, just as the sun always longs for something dark and deep" and "Love is worth the sum of itself, and nothing more" are two of my favorites. Even when the elixir tastes bitter or saccharine, there is beautiful writing sprinkled on top for added flavor.

What I most enjoyed about Practical Magic (both the film and its source material) is the attempt at a "literary" entry in the supernatural fiction genre. Yes, this is a book about witches and magic and curses and hauntings - but, more importantly, it's a book about family and sisterhood and aging and grieving. In my eyes, Practical Magic comes across as a blend of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Disney's Hocus Pocus - with a dash of The Exorcist thrown into the cauldron for good measure. There is something compelling about this tale - the mashup of magical and mundane illuminates the subtle complexities of the human experience. And that is a potent potion for readers of the novel.

Hoffman is a true writer, dabbling into the supernatural like the newest recruit in a literary coven. So, despite the extraneous ingredients that she stews into the mix, the final product is - appropriately enough - an enchanting experience. And that, dear readers, might be enough to conjure the "pumpkin spice spirit" for readers everywhere.

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