A review by monitaroymohan
Wicked by Gregory Maguire

adventurous dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This was a weird book. Like… I couldn’t gauge the tone of it at all. 

On the one hand, this is a fantasy novel recontextualizing the events of The Wizard of Oz. The main theme is people and creatures who are different and the discrimination that they face. Oz is no different from reality as there too racism and misogyny are rampant. People are literally killed for being different and wanting better for themselves. 

And then on the other, there are these weird turns of bawdy, crude and lewd attempts at humour. The book is a strange and unsettling read, because the main topic keeps getting derailed by these oddities. 

Some of the language is, obviously and irritatingly, outdated as are the sensibilities. Elphaba’s sharp features and her sister’s disability are not handled particularly well. The other characters being rude is one thing, but the author isn’t sensitive to them either. There’s a lot of fat-shaming too. 

But then again there are these elusions to gay romances and love, am I’m like, this book is at once ahead of its time and also so behind. 

The last third dragged on too long. Either reimagine what we know or tell a new story, don’t dilly dally. I also don’t think Elphaba’s arc and motivation was drawn out that well. She ended up being passive a lot and taken along with the plot — she needed to be more active. 

I am curious what the musical and the film parse out of this meandering story. It is, at its core, an important tale that reflects our own societies’ prejudices based on skin colour and beauty and geography. And yet, it’s a tough read less because of the reflections on reality and more because of its crudity.