Second Opinions Piece

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

A review by Avila Dye

To preface this review I’d like to say that I was practically raised on the 2003 to present musical adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s novel. I’ve seen it on stage several times, and I can sing every song from memory. However, for me the book is on an entirely different level than the musical, which has become a smash hit across the world.

Like L. Frank Baum’s Oz book before him, Maguire’s Wicked, which follows the iconic Wicked Witch, has been overshadowed by a glossed-over adaptation, void of the political or philosophical complexities included in the original work.

Those who were enchanted by the musical and raced home to read the book are in for a jarring experience. Stephen Schwartz’s musical is a Saturday morning cartoon when compared to the novel it’s based on. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; Broadway’s Wicked is a refreshing show that is centered around two women’s friendship and has a strong message about being yourself and standing up for what you believe in, as well as being sprinkled with a few darker themes, and it’s no wonder that it’s enthralled so many people, including myself.

In contrast, Maguire’s Wicked is a grim novel that philosophizes on the nature of good and evil, turning Baum’s Oz on it’s head and filling in the world’s gaps to make it into a living, breathing world with religion, politics, social tensions, and sexuality. The narrative follows Elphaba, also known as the Wicked Witch of the West, from her birth, to her college days with Glinda (the Good Witch), to her time in the Emerald City as an anarchist, to her self-sentenced exile in the “Winkie” lands where she becomes the Witch of the West and is ultimately “melted” by Miss Gale. 

One of the most intriguing parts of the novel is how Maguire takes familiar characters that were originally relatively one-dimensional and breathes life into them, just as he did with Oz as a whole, as mentioned above. Before Dorothy came along, Glinda was a naive, aspiring socialite with a love for architecture and was dear friends with Elphaba, or Elphie as she affectionately called her, a cynical green girl with a knack for science, philosophical thinking, and a love for her disabled sister Nessarose, who would grow up to become the governor of Munchkinland and a religious zealot, which earned her the title the “Witch of the East”.

Wicked is an intricately woven story with beautiful prose and implications that you only catch onto on the second or even third read. Those who enjoyed The Wizard of Oz or the musical adaptation won’t necessarily enjoy Maguire’s novel; the way at which the plot develops is not instantly gratifying nor is it fast-paced, taking a certain kind of reader to enjoy the plot that spans over four decades with sizable gaps between each of the five parts, leaving only vague suggestions as to what occurred within them. 

In conclusion, Wicked is an exceptional but unusual novel, tailored for a reader who enjoys philosophy, doesn’t require happy endings, and is willing to read between the lines. It isn’t a novel for everyone, but for those who fit into it’s intended audience it’s an incredibly rewarding read.