Wicked – Gregory Maquire
Harper Collins, 2008 (reprint)
538 pages
RRP: AU$19.99
ISBN: 978-0-06-135096-2

Reviewed by Kate Smith

The story of the life of the Wicked Witch of the West is a very intesting premise for a number of reasons. The Wizard of Oz is an iconic story in our culture and has been made reference to in many other forms of text, including television, over the years. Whole cartoons have been based around it and single lines have become part of standard communication. Tapping into that interest while adding to the story and at the same time giving readers a chance to think about how people become who they are always stood a good chance of success. The author has not failed in this.

It took quite a while to get into the story, especially as the reader is often tempted to look for a character to identify with in the first section and may not be able to do so. The seemingly slow progress of the text happens a number of times throughout the story, leaving the reader uncertain of where the tale is going, but everything written is necessary in order to understand the character of Elphaba. Having finished the book and looking back it is possible to see how well the author has constructed the character. At the end the reader is left with the feeling of having sympathy for the Wicked Witch yet still acknowledging the person the character has become as the anti-hero – not what people usually look for in a hero or heroine. There is absolutely no doubt at the conculsion of the tale of the complex nature of the Witch and the author’s attempts to detail the changes in a life are successful. Wicked also shows successfully the progression of a life, how unexpected turns may be and the effects of family on a person.

Having said this, Wicked was a book that I wanted to finish but it was not a book I could not put down. If a potential reader picks up this book looking for a thrill ride of excitement and fears then they will need to adjust their expectations or pick another book. I definitely recommend Wicked but readers need to be aware of the style of the book or they will not achieve the enjoyment from reading it they may otherwise have done. I have no idea whether the musical is a faithful adaptation, never having seen it, but the book is well worth reading before or after attending the performance.