Magdalene
by Marissa Dike


"Time is the only thing that can produce true wisdom. That’s why The Gifted are so important."

“Adam,” who narrates the book’s first half, is the alias of a man that Mills, the heroine, meets while living in a tent. When he tells her about his Gift, that he’s lived other lives before this one and travels around meeting others like him (as well as visiting his few friends), she wants to join him. Adam learns that Mills’ Gift is stronger than his, her memories more vivid, and her personality more inviting. By the time Mills learns that ten Gifted people commit suicide after meeting Adam and her, Adam, for whom the deaths are blamed as murders, leaves Mills a car and money and keeps moving on foot until he’s arrested. Mills starts a new life—and narrates a new section of the book—trying to figure out who she is apart from Adam and aside from her Gift, which she admits can also be a curse.

Having Adam and Mills address their narration to “you” serves to engage the reader. Just as Adam and Mills ask people whether they believe they are GIfted, readers must decide whether Mills and Adam are believable characters. Mills’ connection to people she meets on the journey is conveyed through candid conversations. Adam’s connection with a non-Gifted friend, Lily, is shown through Lily’s cozy home, where she, Adam, and Mills share cups of tea and homemade meals, presenting Adam and Mills as likable and trustworthy. The accusation that Adam murdered the ten people is equally convincing as a realistic reaction to their claim of reincarnation. Mills’ development in the aftermath of the accusation, whether or not it's true, is the book’s real “trial.” The inspiring way she follows her intuition as she locates a home, friends, and work proves that living is worth the effort and rewards.

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