Book Review : The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter

The Magic Toyshop tells the surreal “rites of passage” story of Melanie and her transition from innocent girl to sexualised woman. After a tragic event ends her comfortable, idyllic childhood, she is forced to move to London and live with her tyrannical puppet-obsessed uncle and his unusual family above the toyshop he owns. 

    At around 200 pages, this is a relatively short read but Angela Carter packs the pages with poetic language and imaginative imagery. In fact, it’s dripping with so much symbolism an A-Level English Lit teacher would have a field day. Melanie’s experience of the harsh reality she finds herself in is frequently unpleasant and there is an unremitting claustrophobic atmosphere that gives the book an unsettling edge. A classic example of magic realism, the book draws you into a bizarre but vivid world of suppressed emotions and alarming truths.