At The End of Magic

by Mary Petrie

Leilani O'Brien is relieved when her husband and four-year-old daughter, Holly, are killed in a car accident. Glad to be freed from a failing marriage and the demands of motherhood-and horrified by these feelings-she settles on suicide as her only option. Across town, college senior Delphi begins to 'see' Holly-a persistent image begging for help. Skeptical and scared, Delphi eventually acquiesces to both her psychic gifts and Holly's pleas, until she stumbles into an unthinkable betrayal and finds herself searching for two missing mothers, Holly's and her own.

342 pages, Paperback

First published June 20, 2014

About the author

November 20- December 20: Sign up for Give Away! Giving out 15 copies of At the End of Magic!

Mary teaches English and Gender & Women's Studies at a community college near Minneapolis. She's the recipient of a number of writing awards and her work has appeared in a number of publications, including Rake Magazine and The New York Times. At the End of Magic, her novel, languished for over a decade after her NY-based literary agent failed to sell the manuscript. Unbeknownst to Mary, her 17-year old son self-published the book as a "thank you for raising me" gift. He told her that the only way to thank her for an amazing childhood was to make her dreams come true: which he did. His younger sister and brother now claim that their lives and gift-giving potential have been seriously undermined. Also complicating things are Mary's husband, two demanding dogs, and a big beautiful messy camp of family and friends.

Reviews

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

It would've been a much more enjoyable read had it not been for the never-ending cycle of POVs changing from one paragraph to the next. It was ridiculous! How about some type of marker? An extra couple of paragraphs? Or the name of whose POV I'm reading? There were times in any given chapter that I'd find myself reading more than two POV's; three, even four at times. Some may not be bothered by this, but it bugs the ever-loving shit out of me. Talk about a total turn-off. As for the actual story? There were a few things I liked, and quite a bit that I really didn't like at all. I'm actually quite surprised that I made it to the end.

[Bethany Vedder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into the book with few expectations, and emerged with the feeling that whatever else Mary writes, I'll read it. It took a couple of chapters for me to fall in love, but I did without a doubt. My pace picked up, my sleep was forfeited, and I raced to the finish. The magic was beautifully woven in, and Delphi's attitude towards it absolutely believable. Holly's character is beautifully drawn, and Leilani's delightfully complex. Loved it.

[Kizz Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fell in love with this deeply emotional book. It's hard to imagine a world in which the far out supernatural is so deeply rooted in grounded reality. Fortunately you don't have to imagine it because Mary Petrie has already written it for you. If you've ever longed for answers or hated the ones you were getting I think you'll like this.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! Wonderful characters - the author put heart and soul into them. The last two pages were like a lovely poem.

[Isabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story of love and grief. It follows the story of two women, one just discovering her psychic abilitites and the other trying to survive grief. I would like to see maybe a follow up book, as I felt the ending was left open.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book apparently would never have been published if not for the author's son acquiring the manuscript and seeing it through to publication.

Thanks to the son; also to the author for a uniquely written novel.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imaginative, full of magnificent language and quirky--kept my attention and made me think. What more can one ask of a book?