Wishful Thinking is the companion novel to Bullen’s debut novel Wish and it continues in the same vein as the first book. Ms. Bullen writes a beautiful story. She takes magical elements and weds them to very real conflicts with an expertise that has the reader charmed. I loved the complex relationships in the novel. The depth of the protagonist’s desire for a family was exquisitely portrayed. The characters in the novel came to life on the island setting and, in the most empathetic of ways, the author shows the reader what if feels like to be in search for a mother, for a family.I also loved how, even though the story is about wishes and how they are granted, the narrative shows that sometimes what we wish for is not what we need. Basically, this is a contemporary novel dressed up as somewhat supernatural but more like magical realism. I did have some issue with the romantic plot but I guess that too was part and parcel of Hazel’s growing up, her journey. I truly enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone who likes contemporary novels.
