The Unwritten Rules of Magic

Ross’s elegant and empathetic debut introduces single mother Emerson, 39, just after the funeral of her domineering father, famous sci-fi author Jefferson Clarke. Emerson, a ghostwriter, always felt overshadowed by Jefferson’s success and impulsively takes his 1935 Underwood manual typewriter home as a memento. She uses it to write about their volatile relationship as well as her desires to lose weight and revive her neglected garden. The next day she contracts a stomach bug that makes her lose five pounds and her tulips are miraculously blooming. When her alcoholic mother, Dorothy, finally free of Jefferson’s oppression, announces she’s putting the family mansion in Connecticut up for sale, Emerson types out her wish to delay the sale—and the next day a previously unknown trust halts proceedings. She realizes that Jefferson must have used the typewriter’s powers to become rich and famous and follows clues he left behind to learn how to use it for herself. But there are consequences to its magic and Emerson must decide if it’s worth the risk to boost her career and her love life, get Dorothy into rehab, and help her troubled teenage daughter, Sadie. Ross has a light touch with the magical elements, primarily using them to explore the intricacies of familial relationships and drive home a message about facing life’s challenges with purpose. Crisp prose, mature characters, and well-wrought emotional trials propel this introspective journey of self-discovery. (Jan.)