The title of this novel by Heidi Julavits refers to the classic book
The
Uses of Enchantment by Bruno Bettelheim regarding the telling of fairy
tales
and their effects on the minds and development of children. While
the story unfolds we begin see the connection. As a teenager, the
character of Mary is abducted and returns one week later. But was
she abducted or is it an elaborate fantasy that she has
concocted? The novel is broken
into three interlocking sections. We see Mary as a teenager with
The Man who may or may not have taken her, notes from Mary's
psychologist and then Mary as an adult
returning to her childhood home after the death of her mother.
This is a compelling novel that keeps you wondering about fact and
fantasy, about the secret lives of girls and their sexuality and how
they come to view themselves in the world. Buy it at Amazon
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