Book review: The age of Magic

By Ben Okri

Book review: The Age of Magic

Welcome back for a book review, besties! Today we will talk about The Age of Magic by Ben Okri.

This book was... all over the place. In the best and the worst way possible. What I mean is that it takes you on a journey and perhaps makes you introspect too, a little bit more than the average novel.

For our review, let's start by the book cover. Well... it's purple, and that's the main reason why I bought it. Then, it's written by a book prize-winning author, so I assumed it would be excellent.

It starts on a train. Where a group of creatives is headed from France to Switzerland, they are filmmakers and we are not quite sure how they all met. Although we know that they are all deeply troubled on the inside; especially Malasso (he's probably the most deranged). I mean imagine willingly selling your soul just to be rejected because "there's nothing extraordinary to it". If Robert Johnson had an untalented film-making cousin, that would be him.

The narrative is introspective and meditative all at once. Sometimes I felt like I could hear the wind whisper to me the same way it whispered to the characters along their travel. Malasso is jealous of everyone, even people who carry an umbrella in case of a rainy day. "Touch some grass!" I'd say internally, on every chapter written about him.

If you've ever been in a place where the atmosphere feels... heavy... this book just might have painted what you felt but couldn't explain.

Ben is a story teller, and is adamant about our secret stories shaping our public lives. I believe, in this book, he gave each character so much potential that by the end, we can almost predict their next actions because we deeply understand their motivations.

I would rate it a 6.5/10.

I believe each chapter is beautifully written, the book is full of insightful quotes, BUT, like I said, it's all over the place. I don't doubt Ben Okri is a terrific writer; matter of fact, some novels are more character focused than plot focused, and this just might be one of those. It is rich in perspective and often questions the meaning of life without coming to a conclusion.

It is an "okay" read. It felt more like an experimental and creative project than a literary masterpiece.

What about you? Have you ever read anything similar? Let me know, I write back ;)