Name: The Man Who Was Magic
ISBN: 9780330021944

Paul Gallico

A Fable of Innocence

The Man Who Was Magic

Fraser Simons

2.5

Thematically tight and good, universal so it holds up well. The craft is quite odd, I feel like this must be for a parent to read to a child? The structure and verbiage and all around vocabulary is beyond the intended audience, for sure. You’d have a kid pause and ask you wtf these words were had you been reading it to them. 

But the dialogue is discordant with the structure as well. It’s very pastoral small upper class British child in a private school. Very proper and highly energetic, to like a degree that wouldn’t be believable. 

And then, to top it off, it’s also incredibly self aware, which was the largest fault for me. When a magic boy starts talking about microscopes and microbes and what not, I’m out of the fantasy story, understandably. 

It’s totally swingy as well. Like… literally talking about lynching a person for being Othered by the town. Not killed, though that’s mentioned too, by actually lynched. Published in ‘68, it shows. It really does. There’s casual misogyny while tying, ironically, to not be misogynistic and objectifying of Jane, one of the main characters. And there’s lots of casual racism around cultures the author just hasn’t got a proper handle on whatsoever. From evil “Gypsy” to “oriental” people. I have to imagine it’s a huge nostalgia read because people. 

I know are progressives really like this novel. And I can see how the ending would stay with you, especially at a young age. It just really feels weird now, given context. It’s barely a pass for me.

The Man Who Was Magic A Fable of Innocence