9 magical realism literature for the jet-set book club

Tatler Asia

16-06-2025

2. 'Beloved' by Toni Morrison
Above 'Beloved' by Toni Morrison (Photo: Vintage Classics)
In Morrison's haunted tale of a runaway enslaved woman, magical realism becomes a way to process intergenerational trauma. The ghost of a dead child—named Beloved—returns not to comfort but to disrupt. Morrison's language is hypnotic, but never indulgent. Here, the genre does not entertain so much as indict. It insists that certain truths can only be told through the unreal. 3. 'The Master and Margarita' by Mikhail Bulgakov
Above 'The Master and Margarita' by Mikhail Bulgakov (Photo: Vintage Classics)
A talking cat named Behemoth, Satan visiting 1930s Moscow and a manuscript that refuses to burn—this novel is outrageous in premise yet razor-sharp in satire. Bulgakov uses magical realism to lampoon Soviet censorship and artistic cowardice. For those tired of solemn symbolism, this offers irreverence with bite. It's best read with vodka, or perhaps while waiting for a delayed flight out of Sheremetyevo. 4. 'Pedro Páramo' by Juan Rulfo
Above 'Pedro Páramo' by Juan Rulfo (Photo: Serpent's Tail Classics)
Sparse, elliptical and eerie, Rulfo's novel helped shape Latin American magical realism long before it became fashionable. When Juan Preciado arrives in the ghost town of Comala to find his father, he discovers a village populated by murmurs and memories. This isn't a page-turner—it's a slow descent. Still, its compact length makes it a perfect read between check-ins and cocktails. 5. 'The House of the Spirits' by Isabel Allende
Above 'The House of the Spirits' by Isabel Allende (Photo: Vintage Classics)
Allende's debut blends family saga with political upheaval in postcolonial Chile. Critics have debated whether it's derivative of Márquez, but the book holds its own in its exploration of matriarchal memory, spiritual visions and domestic power. Magical realism here is a tool of female resistance, quietly upending a patriarchal world through the domestic and the divine. 6. 'The Famished Road' by Ben Okri
Above 'The Famished Road' by Ben Okri (Photo: Vintage Classics)
Okri's Booker Prize-winning novel follows Azaro, a spirit child caught between life and the afterlife in postcolonial Nigeria. The prose can veer toward the ornamental, but it captures a world where ancestors interrupt daily life and reality pulses with unseen energies. Magical realism, in Okri's hands, becomes both political and philosophical. It's not a casual read, nor should it be. 7. 'The Palm-Wine Drinkard' by Amos Tutuola
Above 'The Palm-Wine Drinkard' by Amos Tutuola (Photo: Faber & Faber)
A chaotic, exhilarating plunge into Yoruba folklore, Tutuola's novel is unlike anything in the Western canon. It was derided when first published in 1952, but later celebrated for its raw invention. The narrator's quest through spirit lands and shapeshifting creatures may lack polish, but it pulses with authenticity. Magical realism here is deeply rooted, drawing power from oral traditions rather than literary fashion. 8. 'Kafka on the Shore' by Haruki Murakami
Above 'Kafka on the Shore' by Haruki Murakami (Photo: Vintage)
A boy runs away from home. A man talks to cats. A storm of leeches falls from the sky. Murakami's novel is cryptic but deliberate, filled with riddles rather than revelations. The surreal elements aren't decorative—they form the architecture of the characters' emotional landscapes. While not all critics agree on calling it magical realism, the novel's refusal to distinguish dream from reality puts it firmly in the genre's most modern lineage. Best read in transit, when your sense of time and space is already in flux. 9. 'Like Water for Chocolate' by Laura Esquivel
Above 'Like Water for Chocolate' by Laura Esquivel (Photo: Black Swan)
A cookbook of longing disguised as a novel, Esquivel's story of forbidden love and inherited recipes popularised magical realism for a broader audience. Tita's emotions infuse her cooking, causing dinner guests to weep or lust depending on the dish. Though its popularity has led some to dismiss it as sentimental, the novel's sensual intelligence remains sharp. It turns domestic ritual into rebellion, a theme as relevant in contemporary kitchens as it is in literature.
For the jet-set reader, magical realism offers more than a surreal detour. It's a way of seeing—one that acknowledges beauty without denying brutality, and wonder without abandoning doubt. These books are not whimsical escapes. They are invitations to reconsider what we take for granted about reality, especially when viewed from a window seat at 35,000 feet.
NOW READ
7 upgraded travel essentials for the savvy flyer's wellness kit
From sleep tourism to 'quietcations: 4 wellness travel trends for the weary
7 inspiring wellness books for a grounded, mindful life