Book Review – Magic: A Novel

Magic is a thrilling story of three couples brought together by the magic of an all-white, invitation-only dinner held in the remotest of places in Paris.

The novel follows the ups and downs of Jean-Philippe and Valerie Dumas’s relationship. It is tested when he moves to China for an impossible to resist career move, leaving Valerie with three small kids. She begins to toy with the strings of an affair with one of her bosses.

Chantal, a widow with three older kids has finally found love with a much younger man. As she tries to balance her role as a mother and girlfriend, we experience the anxiety as she waits for Javier to leave her for a much younger woman.

After 20 years of marriage and countless affairs, Benedetta finally divorces Gregorio Mariani after his mistress falls pregnant. She is portrayed as a very strong woman as she picks up the pieces and eventually falls in love with another man. Gregorio on the other hand faces his own tragedies that leave him a broken man caring for a baby on his own.

The storyline is somewhat predictable, but the ending will leave you questioning how love really works.

Alicia Sibanda
3/5