The debut novel from Meg Shaffer, The Wishing Game blends adult and children’s fiction in a warm, delightful tale of hope, heartache, family and the importance of remembering what it was like to be a child. When reclusive children’s author Jack Masterson resumes writing after years away, the eccentric writer announces an unusual competition, inviting four adults to return to his home on Clock Island, where they once visited as children. The prize? The one and only copy of his latest, long-awaited book, to do with as they please. For Lucy Hart, winning the competition would mean more than just the opportunity to read the new Clock Island book – it would give her the one thing she truly wants: a chance to adopt seven year-old orphan Christopher.
So far, so familiar, right? The rich eccentric, the exclusive competition, the chance for four contestants to look behind the curtain of a wonderful world of imagination if only they can contend with each other, and their own fears. Shaffer makes no secret of her influences here, happily reframing classic Dahl from a grown-up’s perspective – imagine if Matilda’s Miss Honey was the protagonist in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where Willie Wonka is a (mostly) genial children’s author and the other contestants are all adults, and (largely) less objectionable. It’s a children’s story for adults really, exploring what’s at stake for the contestants out there in the real world, and also for Jack Masterton himself (not to mention his somewhat grouchy friend/assistant/cover artist Hugo), while maintaining the sense of wonder and excitement that children’s fiction so often exhibits.
This is one of those books that feel like a warm hug – it’s wonderfully heartwarming, without going too far and becoming saccharine. Clock Island is the sort of place any child would want to visit, and while there’s no actual magic at play here, the setting is genuinely magical in all the ways that matter. At the same time though, Shaffer tackles some legitimately serious themes, from child neglect to dealing with grief and loss, and sadness often lies just beneath the surface despite the generally warm tone. As a tale of grown-ups getting to spend time with the author of beloved books from their childhood, books and writing – and the escapism that they can provide – inevitably play an important part throughout. But it’s the reasons why each of them needed (or still need) that escapism that provide a lot of the story’s emotional content (especially when you factor in young Christopher), digging into the complexities of family, and found family.
It’s the sort of book that, as an adult, reminds you what it was like to be a child, to have that youthful sense of wonder but also to want some kind of escapism with all your heart. It’s a story about allowing children to be children, and to have hope…and the importance of remembering what that was like once you’re an adult. With Shaffer’s influences worn openly on her sleeve it’s not hard to see the broad sweep of what’s coming – a little romance, a little danger, mysteries to be solved and fears to be overcome – but there are enough subtle surprises to keep you on your toes, and it’s so satisfying that who really cares if you can predict the key beats? At a tight, compact 280 pages in hardback it’s a satisfyingly focused story, full of magic and invention and gentle humour, which hits home with a powerful emotional impact and proves to be an absolute joy from start to finish.
Review copy provided by the publisher
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