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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Barely any
One death involving an abusive relationship; some dark magical consequences
Language
Barely any
Mild language
Sexual Content
Some
Adult romantic relationships; nothing explicit; the complications of love under a death curse
Substance Use
Some
Some alcohol and substance use; the dead boyfriend was involved in drugs
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The weight of a family curse; grief; the psychological effects of loving someone dangerous; magic with real consequences
What this book is about
Sally and Gillian Owens grew up in their aunts' eccentric New England household knowing they were different—their family's witchcraft isolating them from the town. When Gillian's abusive boyfriend Jimmy ends up dead, Sally buries the body in the garden. But Jimmy has a way of coming back. Alice Hoffman's magical realism novel weaves dark magic with sisterhood, grief, and the complicated love of women who have been made outsiders. The 1998 film with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman only scratched the surface of the book's darkness.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
An abusive relationship and its violent end
Dark magic with genuine consequences
Themes of family trauma and inherited pain
Reader Verification
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