A review by laura_corsi
White Magic by Elissa Washuta

2.0

An interesting essay collection. It moved backward and forward in time with little indication of where we were or where we were going. It made the author's thoughts like swift silver fishes that you could only catch glimpses of before they submerged again. I wish I had been able to read it in print as I think maybe i could have gotten the fishes to hold still for a minute longer, so I could see them. But probably not. And I think this essay collection would resonate more with a younger person, I could not always relate to the main struggle of the author (i.e. getting over her ex-boyfriend). I was like, "get over him already." But that is my own bias. I wanted more about how her native traditions and the wiccan traditions she practices overlap and entangle and maybe cause her cognitive dissonance. But that was not really what this book was about. It was good writing but it was not what I wanted to read about. I would have dnf'd the book if it were not for the strength of Washuta's writing. It was like being on a bus stuck next to a passenger who you have nothing in common with but you get to hear their life story anyway--in the end you are just not sure what to think of the encounter.