Everyone in Leone Ross' novel "Popisho" possesses literal magic. One man can tell if you're lying as you speak. Another can change the color of any object that he touches. The main character, Xavier Redchoose, can season food through the palms of his hands. He is the macaenus (maw-see-nus) "a person anointed by the gods to make each resident one perfect meal." As the governor of the island tries to force him to prepare a wedding feast for his daughter, the gods have plans to punish the people of the archipelago for failing to create unity among themselves, all while Xavier's one true love tries to make her way back to him.
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A Magic-Filled Island Where Lifeâs Struggles Rage
Even as Leone Ross is dazzling and shocking us in “Popisho,” she’s also steadily questioning who holds the power and whether they are worthy of it.Credit.Hayden Goodman
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By Eowyn Ivey
POPISHO
By Leone Ross
In the writersâ world, Iâve encountered the notion that ideas are like butterflies, landing softly on this shoulder or that brow and, if the writer is not quick enough, flitting off to find another, more receptive mind. The idea lends a sense of urgency to the writing process â quick, write that novel before someone else does! Or maybe it provides the hope that inspiration is plentiful and free and waiting to be plucked out of the air.