The Witch

Witchcraft and family strife animate this uneven 1996 novel by NDiaye, winner of the Prix Goncourt for Three Strong Women. In suburban France, twins Maud and Lise have turned 12, and the time has come for their mother, narrator Lucie, to pass along her inherited sorcery powers. Lucie’s gift allows her to see faint glimpses of the past, present, or future, but her daughters’ powers turn out to be much stronger, like Lucie’s mother before her. She’s overcome by the pair’s “bored disdain,” now that they always know what’s going to happen, and worried they’ll only use their magic for “practical purposes.” Meanwhile, tension with her frustrated and unkind husband comes to a tipping point when he skips out and steals their savings. NDiaye has a knack for surrealism, as when she imbues quotidian domestic scenes with supernatural imagery such as the “vaporous carpet of tiny dark feathers” left by the twins in their wake. Unfortunately, Lucie’s conflicts remain underdeveloped, and the work feels more like a collection of vignettes than a satisfying narrative. Diehard fans ought to take a look, but this doesn’t have the power of NDiaye’s best work. Agent: Georges Borchardt, Georges Borchardt Inc. (Apr.)