It Is Quite A Risk To Spank A Wizard For Getting Hysterical About His Hair

When I was younger and just starting to get into reading, my mother wanted we to read anything but fantasy books. So, of course, all I wanted to read was fantasy. The holy trifecta of authors that I pined after were Gail Carson Levine, Eva Ibbotson, and Diana Wynne Jones. I hadn’t revisited my little fantasy stash in years, so when I sat down with Jones’s “Howl’s Moving Castle” last week, it was like reading it for the first time.

Let me tell you – the amount of wittiness, wisdom, style, and subtlety woven into a novel meant for a much younger audience of readers than what I’m “supposed” to be reading is astounding. To provide a little context for those who are unfamiliar with the novel, “Howl’s Moving Castle” is set in a purposefully stereotypical world of magic where you follow the story of Sophie Hatter. Transformed into an old lady by an evil witch, Sophie ends up in the employ of an uncertainly evil wizard named Howl.

Jones does three things that are brilliant: firstly, the entire world is a self-aware caricature of a “magical world.” Here’s the first few lines from the book that demonstrates this beautifully:

“In the land of Ingary, were such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. Everyone know you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes.
Sophie Hatter was the eldest of three sisters. She was not even the child of a poor woodcutter, which might have given her some chance of success.”

The writing style of the book is equally delightful. Full of clever lines, unexpected characters, and a rather factual, documentary style writing that somehow fits perfectly, Jones is a master of dry humor. But what pulls it all together is the lessons. The thematic values, if you will. This is not a story of a beautiful girl who falls in love with a powerful wizard. It’s about a girl who is always too timid, too complacent, and too comfortable and who, instead of despairing at being turned into an old woman, finds herself in it. As an old woman, she is unafraid of judgement and social pressure. More inclined to adventure and more disinclined to stay silent.

It’s a book I recommend for readers of any age. It’s a wonderful blend of magic and reality, humor and intensity that I rarely find anymore. And while I’m sure my mother had good reasons for censuring my books, I’m glad I got this one by her.

– Merav