fullygoldy | Books: Wicked by Gregory Maguire

The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. I actually listened to the unabridged audio version - 16 CDs! It was long and twisty.

Yeah, I don't really know what else to say about this. I know I read all the Frank Baum novels as a kid, but I also remember that they were kind of boring, not as fun as the movie. The only clear memory I have is that every time Dorothy returned home to KS, she lost something magical as the price of going back (it wasn't just the shoes or the one trip). Also, Dorothy was much younger in the books than the movie. I can't remember the tone or the language of the originals, but I expect Maguire would try to match it somewhat.

It was weirdly interesting. The basic premise is that the Wicked Witch of the West wouldn't seem so evil or wicked if you got to know her. Of course, she (Elphaba) was a weird, evil sort of baby to begin with, all green skin and sharklike teeth, plus an inborn fear of water. Her dad was an itinerant preacher, her mom, a former rich, earthy, princess type stuck in the boonies and gone to seed. We soon learn the mom had healthy earthly appetites, and may not actually know the parentage of her green baby.

There's a poly interlude with mom & dad & a traveling glassblower named Turtleheart who is built like a frog. He is loyal and kind, and apparently great in bed. Both parents loved him, and he became a member of the family as well as probable father to one of 3 kids.

Glinda, the Good Witch, 18 yrs hence, will be Elphaba's college roommate and best "friend" (as if Elphaba would allow herself such comfort). She comes from the right side of the tracks, and is pretty and just priviledged enough to be an annoying, shallow snob. Fate thrust her in with Elphaba, which she resents mightily, but eventually comes to terms with. She never really loses her shallow quality, but she's also got a quick mind when she cares to use it.

The Wicked Witch of the East (Nessa Rose) is the younger sister, born without arms, starts out life as daddy's favorite, so of course becomes very pious. She accepts the Wicked epitaph, just a few years prior to having a house dropped on her head, as an ironic nod to her piousness. Daddy had those beautiful slippers made for her and Elphaba was just the ugly, usurped duckling with nothing special of her own (not actually true) , so lusted for the shoes for many years. They became her birthright in her mind, her reward for being daddy's first disciple, and Nessie's caretaker all those years.

Elphaba is mostly a loaner, but apparently is charismatic enough to grow on people, cause an exotic outlander to cheat on his wife, and be adopted as "Auntie" by a paterfami-less family. She even produces a child, whom she can't be bothered to love or care for. She also dabbles in a strange sort of animal husbandry that produces flying monkeys.

Oz is a very strange land, with animals and Animals, the latter being sentient enough to speak, and contribute to society as Drs and Lawyers and such. Willie would be proud. However, the strange and terrible Wizard who staged a coup upon his arrival, has decided Animals should have no rights, and has worked for 40 yrs to advance his agenda, which also includes building a road to join all parts of the land, whether the people want the road or not. In some places across the land, the road is ripped up by the locals.

Dorothy is just a sweet, innocent, likeable girl who falls down (literally) in the middle of all this history, and gets played like a pawn that belongs to multiple sides of the board. She wouldn't knowingly hurt anyone, and Toto is the same yappy dog she dotes on in the movie.

Oh, and the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion? Well, the lion is an Animal, obviously, and is only cowardly because he was abused by humans as a cub. The Tin Man may or may not be a victim of a spell by Nessa Rose, it's never explicitly stated. The Scarecrow is harder to explain, he's some kind of talisman the uneducated believe in, but come to life. However, there is an explicit enough scene between two of the guys that would have a stronger pervert than I slashing them (hee).

And Puppet Porn! OMG. Right in chapter 1, it starts out with puppet porn. Marionettes to be precise, and it's supposed to be ribald and salacious. It mostly just weirded me out, man. Then there was the beastialty aspect, because sentient beings are going to get it on, right? There are a couple of recurring characters that tie people and events together, but don't get much of their own explanation.

There's a whole 'false god' theme running throughout, but the false god keeps changing faces. With the politics, the conservative religion, good vs. evil and the class wars, it's just a really confusing jumble. In the end, I guess Elphaba was more pure and virtuous than any of the other characters - she stayed truest to herself throughout, but no one was without sin, and no one was entirely innocent. I have to wonder why the people were so easily taken in by the Wizard though - are they such sheep? Is it because they're technologically backward? The tone, in retrospect, smacked of an imperialistic view of aboriginal peoples.

There is definitely stuff to think about here, but this is not an easy read (or listen). It's not fluff. It's taken me about 3 weeks just to be able to write the review.