**READER BE FOREWARNED THIS RANT WILL SPOIL THE BOOK FOR YOU IF YOU HAVE NOT, BUT PLAN TO, READ WICKED. ***

Wicked was a fun book, especially the first portion (I’d say up until Fiyero’s death.) Nevertheless, it loses some steam after that. . .

First of all, I sensed that something was brewing between Boq and Elphie during their college days, but that was never fully resolved. Perhaps the author was attempting to stir the reader by not doing the expected love/hate to friendship then, finally, romance thing. But I wanted more from that, at least an acknowledgment of the tension or possibility of a romance from ANY of the characters.

When the Witch and Boq finally do meet up in adulthood it is just strange, messy, and confusing. She reacts to him rather violently and, um, wickedly but she never really shows that type of behavior anywhere else in the novel. Its just odd. Her motivation is explained quite clumsily there, it brings to mind a teenage boy fumbling to unhook a bra for the first time–not a fluid affair.

Also, I am not quite sure why Elphaba behaved in the fashion she did once her lover died. It made sense that she was sad and reclusive for a while, but. . . .what the??? Why did she stay with the nun-type-people for so long? From everything we know about her personality up until that point, it seems that Elphie would be angered by the murder of her lover, and inevitably, seek revenge. Not hide and lick her wounds for several years.

I am also rather befuddled about how and why our Witch became a witch at all. The text was SO unclear. Was it because she just kept falling into magic and slowly but surely took up as a witch, or was it because the Wizard (or other powerful Ozians) was/were after her and she needed a disguise? Did she have some innate ability, or not? What the hell is the story with this??

When she is involved with Fiyero and the underground Animal rights stuff, she discusses taking correspondence courses in magic so she can appear and disappear with a “puff of smoke,” or some such. But, that is never acknowledged again, ANYWHERE. Later on when her witchy side is developing while living with the Winkies, she says over and over how she knows nothing of magic. How is that so if she took course work in magic? Further, I feel that the author was setting the stage to explain how the Witch learns to appear and disappear with the puff of smoke ala her behavior in The Wizard of Oz, but that is never realized. She never exhibits this talent in Wicked, nor is her desire to do this ever acknowledged again. Its as if the author forgot this tidbit completely.

In college, when Madam Morrible calls Elphie, Glinda (by the way, why did she change her name? I would have liked to know more than what was given in the text–lots of sad things happen to people all the time but they keep their names. Why was her name change appropriate? Was it a cultural thing?), and Nessa into her office she tells Elphaba that she doesn’t have any innate witching ability, however during her infancy Elphie can see the future in a crystal ball that Turtle Heart makes her which seems quite witchlike. Later on in Winkie country she, through will alone, causes people to die (the son of her lover and the cook during her journey). She also seems to possess the ability to talk to animals, as suggested through her interaction with her bees, crows, and her monkey. I don’t know. Her title as a Witch seems one that was built with hard work,through her Sally Struthers correspondence courses, and natural prowess. Yet, both Elphaba and the text as a whole acts as if she is only deemed a witch through circumstance: her dress and her accoutrements

Overall, my main problem with the book was that for the Wicked Witch of the West she was not very wicked at all. The author set up a perfect history with which one could turn evil: a promiscuous, inattentive, distant mother; a homosexual, God obsessed, verbally abusive (i.e., he tells her, and everyone who will stand still long enough, that she was born simply to punish him), mostly absent father; an early childhood filled with peer rejection; a best friend who spends majority of their friendship being embarrassed of the association to her; a grave and sudden loss at the hands of her enemies; and sexual identity issues. Elphaba’s early childhood and parental relationships alone have turned real men and women to serial murder. Surely the author could have whipped up a plot that had the Wicked Witch really turn evil, all the ingredients are there!

Please don’t misunderstand, I enjoy that the author was toying around with the nature of evil and societies conception there of, but the book needed to acknowledge that she was indeed evil in the original tale. I would have enjoyed it more if, through this tale, the reader was exposed to the complexity of what is socially viewed as evil. For example, Jeffery Dahmer was thought of as evil, as was Ted Bundy, but they didn’t simply appear on earth that way. Circumstances developed them to be evil through mental illness, parental neglect and abuse, poor peer relations, few social skills as a result of parental and peer relations, sexuality issues and so on. After close inspection of peoples lives who are thought of as evil by society (such as Dahmer and Bundy, or even Hitler) they seem more tragic, than evil. The author could have beautifully conveyed that message using the Wicked Witch. The novel could have served as more than simply a fantasy novel, it could have housed a social message, which I believe the character of Elphaba would have endorsed.

Nevertheless, regardless of all my gripes, I did enjoy this book. I thought it was gripping and often I had trouble putting it down to eat and sleep. It had a wonderful element of fun, and yet it was also quite tragic. Given the opportunity to do over, I’d definitely read this book again. In fact, I am thinking about checking out the authors other works.

I was disappointed in this book also - especially because the premise was so interesting. It just didn't come together for me.