"I always knew that the main character in my novel would be dead..." Over at Tor.com, I wrote about how terms like fantasy & magical realism need to take into account cultural context. And why I never considered EVERYONE KNOWS YOU GO HOME to be magical realism, not exactly.
"For it to be magical realism or fantasy or supernatural, it’d have to actually include elements so removed from reality or nature that they’re fantastical. But what happens when the so-called magic is not a departure from reality, but rather a very real connection to your culture? What happens when it’s not fantasy at all, but rather a cultural tradition that dates back millennia, and continues to be celebrated today?" Read more...