The Rules of Magic

In The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman, three siblings exhibit remarkable magic powers. Vincent is so magnetic and mesmerizing that a nurse in the maternity ward tried to kidnap him. Jet can read the thoughts of others. And birds come to sit and perch on Franny's hand. But this magic is not without its drawbacks. Their ancestor, Maria Owens, placed a curse in the 1660s on her descendants - that love would be a curse and cause harm to anybody whom her descendants loved. Why? She loved a man who accused her of witchcraft. The accusation lead to her death.

In spite of the curse, it can be argued that the loves of the siblings' lives merely succumbed to tragic accidents or a disease that effects many people - cancer. Is losing your loved ones a curse or simply a fact of this life on Earth? As the siblings' cousin April said, "I'm fated to lose everyone I ever love. I already know that." "Of course you are," Jet responded in her calm, measured tone. "That's what it means to be alive."

As well as magic, the themes of family and being true to yourself are equally important in this story. At the age of seventeen, Franny receives an invitation to go and live with her Aunt Isabelle. Jet and Vincent decide to accompany her. Isabelle tells them the sad story of Maggie Owens, a cousin who came to stay for the summer. Maggie told tales about her own family in order to fit in with the locals. The family told Maggie to go back to Boston. When Maggie left the house she started cursing. With every curse, she became smaller and smaller. She went to sleep in the grass as a woman and when she woke up she was a rabbit. Isabelle told the siblings, "Keep your eyes open. You may see her in the yard. This is what happens when you repudiate who you are. Once you do that, life works against you, and your fate is no longer your own."

This is a beautiful mesmerizing tale of love, loss, tragedy and hope, as well as magic.