Alright y’all, let’s talk a bit about the genre, Magical Realism. Unfamiliar? Think Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. And even if you still feel like you don’t know the genre, you’re probably more familiar than you think: it’s where a realistic world is presented to you but with the addition of small magical elements. This is different from fantasy, because the world feels like your world.

the watchmaker of filigree street one hundred years of solitude borges

My thoughts on magical realism:

Let me sum this up pretty succinctly: I HATE IT. 

I have yet to read a true magical realism book that I like (this one is the closest). I am super type-A, so my brain wants to be able to categorize everything I’m taking in to some designated box that makes sense for it. 

When I read magical realism, it feels like your standard non-fantasy fiction, but then something magical happens and I’m left confused. My brain can’t reconcile the two. Is it fantasy or not? I can’t even describe how unpleasant it is for me. Every fantasy element that I’ll come across acts as a speed bump to my reading pace. I get way thrown off by it.

The other side of the magical realism coin is that they are often very bizarre. I hate in absurdity in books. And these novels often seem to be full of absurd things. NOPE.

So what does that all mean? I don’t intend to pick up Borges or Marquez any time soon. I tried reading Love in the Time of Cholera and I got maybe a chapter or two in and had to throw the book across the room it offended me so much by its genre confusion. 

magical realism


Do you like magical realism? What are some of your favorite books from the genre? Is there a genre you don’t like reading?