THE OTHER ROAD

Perez offers an alternate take on The Wizard of Oz in this fantasy novel.

The story opens as the Munchkins celebrate the death of Nessarose, the Wicked Witch of the East, after she’s been crushed by a falling house. To their great dismay, Nessa emerges unhurt, aside from some bruises and scratches, but missing her ruby slippers—and her memory. The Munchkins send Nessa down the treacherous Red Brick Road in search of her slippers. On that road, Nessa comes across a disturbing scene: “In the yard, a group of children played, or so it seemed at first glance. Their frozen forms stood motionless, hands raised mid-game, faces caught in an expression of joy.” Nessa learns that before her accident, she caused the magical devastation along the Red Brick Road in a fit of energy and excitement, and she sets off on a quest to repair the damage. After she meets a bilingual goat named Dr. Guillermo Cabro, the two decide to visit the Archives of Magic in the Emerald City to find a way to reverse what she’s done. They’ll need someone to translate the ancient texts, so Nessa’s sister, Elphaba (aka the Wicked Witch of the West), joins the journey. The three must sneak into the Wizard’s study to find the Book of Enchantment, which they hope will hold the key to both undoing Nessa’s crimes and exposing the Wizard for his misdeeds. Perez’s prose is wonderfully descriptive (“Abandoned houses…dotted the roadside, their windows dark and empty, like hollow eyes watching her journey”), though the dialogue can sometimes feel overly moralistic. The author manages to capture the essences of some well-known characters; Glinda is perfectly herself: “Oh, my dear, Nessa! I didn’t even see you there. Isn’t it just wonderful to see me?” While readers unfamiliar with this universe may find themselves out of their depth, fans of Wicked and The Wizard of Oz will appreciate this twist on Nessa’s story.

A vibrant and message-driven literary reimagining.