A Far Wilder Magic

At first blush “A Far Wilder Magic“, the sophomore effort of author Allison Saft, may not seem an obvious choice for this blog. After all, it is a second world, roaring 20’s inspired, fantasy about a magical fox hunt. Nowhere in its pages does the word “Jewish” appear. However, only a fool would doubt that this is a very, very Jewish book.

The story is told in dual POV. The first, Maggie Welty, is the neglected daughter of an alchemist ostracized by her community due to her father observing the religion of the Yu’adir. The second, Weston Winters, is a bumbling but endearing student hoping to apprentice himself to Maggie’s absentee mother. Ostensibly it is a slow burn love story about two unlikely candidates teaming up to beat all the odds. Yet simmering beneath the small town turned speak easy vibe is something else entirely.

As someone who completed part of her education in an institution fondly known as “The WASP Capital,” it didn’t take more than a couple of chapters for me to grasp that this is the story of a Jewish girl and a Catholic boy confronting their fears, and societies bullies, to take down the Protestant establishment. Saft doesn’t pull her punches. The prejudice that Maggie and Weston face is very ugly, very real and very true to life. Even if the word “antisemitism” or “xenophobia” is never used. It is a universal language instantly recognized by anyone that has experienced it.

We had a tradition in school, a winter formal, in which everyone got dressed up in wedding attire and attended a huge party in a fancy hotel. It was a quasi Prom or debutante ball, only more geek-ish. For many, it was the highlight of the year. For me, it was an unattainable impossibility. Because, it was always held on a Friday night when I could not drive to the venue. Instead, I got all gussied up to attend the pre-party in our dorm and then waved at my classmates as they sped off without me.

Don’t get me wrong, they were good people. Kind people. They often expressed a desire that I could come. Yet they never seemed to realize that unlike the school sponsored senior dinner (also annually held on a Friday night and required driving across a highway to attend so I couldn’t even contemplate walking), this was a student run and organized event. They never talked about rotating the dates. It HAD to be a Friday night, because otherwise how would everyone sleep off the alcohol in time for class on Monday? Honestly, the possibility of change never even occurred to me. Much like Maggie Welty, I made myself small, attempted to blend in, and expected no better from the world around me.

Much like my life, this book is filled with people whose actions are not overtly villainous yet their inaction makes then just as reprehensible for aiding, abetting systemic prejudice and inequality. Saft gives them flesh and bones, taking pains to characterize them as fully as the more obvious heros and villains. Because their complicity is necessary for villains to thrive.

Although the book is slow at first, this is more than made up for by the exceptionally well thought out and fulfilling ending. As the story of Maggie and Weston came to a close I did not think about the feeling of sadness I felt as all my classmates peeled away in their Ubers towards the Ball that I could not attend. Instead, I was reminding of meeting up with the other Jewish students who had stayed behind, as well as the students from other minority faiths who for various reasons chose not to attend. We had chosen something different, but no less special.

My Shabbat candles may not have been as bright as the disco in that hotel. The Kiddush wine not as luxuriant as the open bar. But the faces around my table were open and friendly and the current of understanding that ran through us all was far more electric than anything happening on the dance floor. You might even say a far wilder magic ran through all of our veins that night.

Note: I initially attempted to obtain an arc via NetGalley and was turned down by the publisher. No harm no foul. It happens. However the author later posted on her Twitter that arcs were available for EVERYONE for a limited time and I swooped in and grabbed one. Thank you Allison for the hot tip, and please rest assured that I am not a stalker of your Twitter. I just like books. Especially this one.

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E Broderick is a writer and speculative fiction enthusiast. When not writing she enjoys epic games of trivial pursuit and baking. She currently lives in the U.S. but is eagerly awaiting the day a sentient spaceship offers to take her traveling around the galaxy.