Upon first glance, this book might appear to be a tale that a child can read, a prequel to the story of Dorothy that deals with the life that shaped the Wicked Witch of the West. Once one opens this book and begins reading, it becomes apparent that this book isn't suitable for the children. Gregory Maguire has written a novel that deals with the life of Elphaba, a green-skinned young lady born into the family of a preacher and his wife in Munchkinland. Elphaba's family are not Munchkinlanders, however, and so the young Elphaba grows up knowing something about religion, about persecution (after all, she *is* green-skinned), and comes to have a somewhat introverted, and rebellious, nature.
Maguire could have made this story cute and very much in keeping with L. Frank Baum's Oz tales, but he chose a different route, one that is more adult and has some sharp edges to it. In this book, Oz is a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, where Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability, and where the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. What makes this book so special is that Maguire has written a novel which challenges our preconceived notions of what is good and what is evil, with the character of Elphaba at the heart of the matter. This is a book of political change, social upheaval, and injustices that make poor Dorothy's journey through Oz seem all the more wonderous because she really had no idea of what was going on behind the scenes during her travels through Oz. Yes, Dorothy does show up towards the end of this book, but she's not a major player.
Wicked is a novel that inspires the reader to follow the life of Elphaba, to see what shapes her personality as she grows older, and eventually leads us to the revelation of what it means to be a witch and how things are not necessarily what we perceived them to be in the Baum stories. Wicked is a strong novel, full of interesting, well-motivated characters, and as such deserves to be read by all who are fans of the Oz books. This is a book that stands on its own, and requires no knowledge of Oz or the books that have been written by Baum, While the fantasy elements are quite light in this book, I think that Maguire made a good decision in this regard, since the story could easily have turned into one that deals with the technologies and magics of the world of Oz, rather than the people. Maguire's characters are vibrant, strong, full of life, and offer a unique perspective to the social and cultural life that made up the background of Dorothy's trek. This is a book that I can recommend without reservation to those who are willing to see behind the classic Oz stories into the shaping of an influential character from the story of Dorothy's trek across Oz. But this definitely isn't a book that the children should read.