The Rules of Magic

Susanna Burke-Owens is trying to raise her three children as normally as possible in Manhattan, New York, on the cusp of the 1960s, with her psychiatrist husband, Dr. Burke-Owens. She is conscious that her family, the Owenses, have been outcasts since the arrival of Maria Owens in America in 1860. Maria’s life was shrouded in mystery regarding the paternity of her child and the acquisition of her wealth. Her descendants had equally mysterious trajectories, especially as their husbands tended to disappear completely. Susannah has fled her native Massachusetts to settle in New York and keep her children from the knowledge of their troubling ancestry by banning magical-related pastimes such as using Ouija boards, reading magical novels, or keeping cats. However, her children “insisted upon being unusual” (4). For example, Frances stands out for her ability to commune with birds, Jet for her ability to read minds, and Vincent for his extraordinary charisma. The sisters are outsiders at the school they attend; however, students who bully them find that they are punished with minor accidents and misfortunes. Vincent becomes a musical prodigy, earns the attention of scores of girls, and brazenly performs magic tricks such as making quarters appear behind his classmates’ ears.