Inspirational Magical Realism

Try these books if you're looking for:

• inspirational
• magical realism

Kafka on the Shore 
By Haruki Murakami
F MURAKAMI
Murakami is a master storyteller, capable of blending the real and surreal with ease. In this specific story a teenage boy, Kafka Tamura, runs away from home in order to escape a prophesy and finds that his fate intertwines with that of an old simpleton, Nakata. Murakami is known for his intricate plots, incredible imagination, and ability to play with reality. 

Midnight’s Children 
By Salman Rushdie
F RUSHDIE
In Rushdie’s now classic tale, Saleem is born on the stroke of midnight as India gains its independence. Part of a band of children endowed with exotic magical powers, Saleem’s winding saga mirrors that of his country. Rushdie’s creative, evocative language and epic storylines will appeal to fans of other magical realism heavyweights, such as Marques’ One Hundred Years of Solitude. 

All the Names 
By Jose Saramago
F SARAMAGO
Senhor José works as a clerk in his city’s central registry and lives an insipid life until he becomes obsessed with a mysterious record of an anonymous woman. His obsession takes him on a journey of metaphysical and personal discovery. Saramago has perfected the skills of telling strange, uplifting tales in sparse, beautiful prose. 

Like Water for Chocolate 
By Laura Esquivel
F ESQUIVEL
In this inspiring story of love and family, Esquivel bends reality around the feminine arts of cooking and housekeeping. Through reading about the romantic tragedy of the main characters, the reader unconsciously learns about turn of the century Mexican culture. 

Life of Pi 
By Yann Martel
F MARTEL
Pi finds himself a lone survivor of a shipwreck with a 450 pound Bengal tiger as a traveling companion. His 227 day trip across the sea is recounted twice: once as an irrational, impossible tale, and again as a mundane story of survival. The reader is left to find the real story for himself.