Book Review: “Magic America: Coming of Age in an Altered State” by C.E. Medford ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the charming, introspective, coming-of-age story of Hope, her dog Toffee, her Mom – for a little while, her Daddy – and a host of people who accompany her on the journey, including a biker dubbed Rooster.

C.E. Medford, a talented master of the visuals, ensnares the jumbled gray matter of a growing girl and processes it for the reader with consummate skill. She paints Hope’s thoughts in the somewhat girlishly quixotic hues of a budding environmentalist battling the windmill of LoboChem; a polluting, conniving villainous industry in suburban New Jersey. Surrounding our hero is a phalanx of Harley-Davidson bikers cast as her protectors, guides, father figures, and even an eventual lover. And, oh yes, Ivka Repinka.

Vaguely Slavic, surrounded by pink smoke, Ivka Repinka shows up when Hope needs her most; and, sometimes, when she does not. The pink, psychedelic fairy helps her barricade her bedroom against Daddy’s abusive rage and pulls her back from inadvertently breaking through police lines on bikers’ driveways. She counsels and scolds in delightfully broken English. Medford uses her as a modern day ‘Deus ex machina.’

The plot is original, though hard to figure at times; especially because the author is so skilled at reproducing confused teenager thought patterns. But that is part of her artistry.

Medford passes the novelist’s litmus test with high grades because the story is captivating. Were I asked to nitpick, I’d choose the author’s use of British English spelling as somewhat disconcerting and incongruous in a New Jersey setting.

Good yarn, C.E! Four Stars!