Book Review: "The Age of Magic" by Ben Okri

It's late February 2025 and I'm working on a few different articles at the moment. I want to give you another investigation but I'm really not sure where to start and as of yet, I don't know whether I've got around to writing that article on my ten favourite podcasts. If I have, then hats off to future me, you did well and stuck to it instead of erasing it from the board because you thought 'nobody's going to care about this crap'. When it comes to reading though, I worked my way through Ben Okri's The Age of Magic after seeing it sticking out of the library shelves so much it was about to fall off. Let's dive into this brilliant novel...

The Age of Magic is a story about change and transformation. The narrative follows a group of individuals at various stages of personal evolution, who are brought together by their experiences at a spiritual retreat in the Nigerian countryside. The novel’s central theme revolves around the idea that change, both external and internal, is an essential part of the human experience. As they confront their deepest fears and desires, these characters become aware of their own capacity for magic, both literal and metaphorical. The story underscores the importance of self-discovery, the search for meaning, and the acceptance of uncertainty in an ever-changing world. I love stories about self-discovery and yet, this one is so different to the ones I've already read. It blends magic realism with the blissfulness and sublime of the countryside. It's not folklorish but it definitely isn't boring.

The novel is largely set at a remote retreat located in a lush, idyllic Nigerian landscape. This retreat serves as a place of reflection, healing, and spiritual awakening for its guests, many of whom are seeking answers to profound questions about their lives. The retreat functions as a space where the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur, creating an atmosphere ripe for introspection. Through this setting, Okri invites the reader to contemplate the role of physical and mental space in personal growth and transformation. The landscape, which borders both the beauty and danger of nature, is a powerful backdrop that amplifies the magical realism that runs through the novel. The retreat becomes a symbol of the inner journey, reflecting the characters’ internal landscapes and struggles. This is what I'm talking about when I talk about the sublime. This text is simply filled with aspects of the sublime which pertain to the magical and the dangerous. It is almost as though there is always something unexpected bubbling below such as beautiful surface.

The protagonist, a writer named Idris, serves as an observer of the magical events that unfold during the retreat. Idris is a man at a crossroads in his life, he is struggling with a deep sense of spiritual crisis and emotional stagnation. His life seems unfulfilled, and he feels disconnected from the world around him. This sense of dissatisfaction leads him to the retreat, where he hopes to find answers and a sense of renewal. As he experiences the unfolding events, Idris becomes more aware of the inner workings of life and death, the nature of love, and the capacity for transformation. While Idris’ story is central to the novel, he is not the only character to undergo a transformation. The other guests at the retreat also grapple with their own personal demons and face profound moments of change. I think that the magic realism in this book is that extended metaphor for possibility, hope and change - even if it involves fear and dangerous terrains.

The novel delves deeply into the concept of the inner journey: an exploration of the self and one’s place in the world. As the characters in The Age of Magic face the challenges of personal growth, they are forced to confront their fears, regrets, and unresolved emotional struggles. The retreat serves as a metaphor for the space in which individuals confront their inner worlds, process their pain, and work towards personal transformation. The narrative underscores the idea that the true journey is not external, but internal. The characters’ physical movement through the landscape mirrors their psychological and emotional evolution. Through their introspection, they come to realise that the answers they seek are not found outside themselves, but within.

All in all, this is a beautiful book where the one thing I will take away from it is that there are authors writing descriptive magic realism out there that are just as good as Gabriel Garcia Marquez was. It is haunting, wonderous and just gorgeous prose, littered with symbolism and extended metaphors for possibilities yet unknown and journeys yet not taken.