The seasoning of magical realism begins in the first chapter of Wishing Season by Anica Mrose Rissi as Lily gets off the school bus ten minutes past the usual time. Her body language when she waves at no friends and braces herself as she heads to her front door is observed and commented on by two watchful birds. One says she’ll be all right; the second one wonders.
Lily’s twin brother Anders has died leaving Lily and their mother caught in the grasp of grief. The mother withdraws into her own sorrow, leaving Lily to figure out her own way of coping. Wishing will not change anything, but finding Anders in a special place near a tree gives her a chance to communicate with this person who has shared her life since before they were born. In the place where he has gone, he seems not to feel the loneliness she feels at being left behind. Their twin arguments, jokes, and discussions continue almost as usual, except that Anders has a limited space to be. Lily becomes panicky as this area continues to shrink and the times she can find him there become shortened and more unreliable.
The book is a touching and realistic look at grief and the life changes that it brings. It is a well written account of a caring community that helps, but with the understanding that the real adjustment comes from those bearing the loss.
I read the book in an advance reading copy furnished by Net Galley and HarperCollins/Quill Tree. This good read for those experiencing grief or for friends wanting to help those who are in mourning is available for pre-order now or purchase on June 27.