How Is Magic Lessons for Margo, the New Sandovici Novel, Different from the Galveston Novels?
Yesterday, while on the Island for a town hall meeting about coyotes, or rather the ever elusive ghost wolf (more on that later), I encountered a black cat in an alley and it made me think of Magic Lessons for Margo, the new novel I released just before the holidays, and which I’ve yet to properly introduce to readers – especially those who love my Galveston novels, and expect me to write magical realism, or at the very least stories sprinkled with paranormal activity and ghost sightings, similar to Lola Is Never Drinking Again, Storms of Malhado, or Galveston 1922. But there are no ghosts in Magic Lessons for Margo (though a whole chunk of the story is told from the perspective of a dead woman, so at least there’s that). In terms of how haunted it is, Magic Lessons for Margo can best be compared to The Glory Days of Aimee Bonnard, in that there are dreams that certainly can be interpreted as stepping beyond the dreamer’ subconscious into the realm of communicating with spirits, but it’s entirely up to the reader to decide whether this really happens or not.
The Place Where Magic and Science Intersect
To me, one of the most beautiful things about Magic Lessons for Margo is precicely its ambiguity about magic, but also its recognition that there is something wonderful, to the point that it defies comprehension, in the natural world. There’s also a strong sense in parts of the story that to be truly happy we must occasionally suspend our desire to understand things, to seek meaning, signs, purpose, and simply give in to enjoying our surroundings. Of course, there’s a lot more to the story than that, and Margo is ultimately after meaning, after healing, after learning secrets – both those of other characters and her own. She’s a protagonist on a journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance, which ultimately makes her very lovable, unlike some of the more problematic women in the novel, but there are also lovely moments where she learns to let go, to not strive or analyze, but simply enjoy.
Do All Mysteries in Magic Lessons for Margo Stay Unresolved?
Do all mysteries in the novel then stay unresolved then? That would make for a very frustrating read, and wouldn’t be satisfying to me as a writer either. I think mystery novels are tricky but extremely fun to write, not that this is a true mystery like The Adventures of Miss Vulpe or Galveston 1922, or even Glory Days, but I also think one has to play fair. Margo does get to learn what she sets out to learn: She learns what happened to her sister in the years the two of them were apart. She learns a lot more about her mother than she ever thought she wanted to know – and the knowledge is surprisingly welcome and healing. She also learns who she is and learns to accept and express her identity. What she doesn’t figure out, nor does she want to, is whether there’s more to life than science can explain. She doesn’t learn whether magic is real, but the ambiguity is meant to be exciting, not frustrating, to both the protagonist and the reader. There are aspects to the novel where readers are absolutely empowered, they get to decide for themselves what bits of magic are real, and to me, that’s a lot more fun than the writer making this decision for you.
Reviews Wanted
There are currently two reviews of Magic Lessons for Margo on both Amazon and Goodreads. Please post more! Nothing makes me happier than reading what y’all think about my new novel. Also, reviews inspire me to make Canva collages, and I absolutely love making these.
To be continued. And yes, I’ll let you know what I learned about coyotes/ghost wolves on Galveston Island as soon as I process some of that information and its magic. For now, let’s just say, coyotes are very beautiful, they roam very far, they might or might not eat cats, and it’s best for everyone involved (the coyotes included) if people learn to coexist with them without seeking to befriend or feed them (so please secure your delicious cats and leash your yummy yummy dogs).
