The Taste of Magic Candy
As you might expect in a story about a candy store, a great deal of imagery is geared toward making the title produce come alive for the reader. The author proves very effective at what is actually a more difficult task than one might suspect. After all, a lot of candy gets consumed in this novel and the author must continually turn to imagery to convey how the characters are reacting:
“The smooth, cold eggnog was thick as a milkshake, and creamy beyond description…The chewy brownie exploded with a harmonious mix of chocolate and butterscotch.”
“The stream of jelly collected on the table in a vivid, translucent mound, enough orange ooze to overflow a bathtub”
Colson, California
The setting of the novel is based on the Northern California town where the author grew up. Notably, however, the author did not choose to set his story in that town, but rather an entirely fictional simulation. Of course, in Colson things are not exactly like any real town. In fact, Colson is not just unlike any actual town anywhere in the world; it is not like what it seems. Very early on, imagery is engaged to subtly foreshadow the revelation that Colson is not exactly what it seems:
“the buildings looked like they were trying to belong to the Old West. Most were two stories and made of wood. Some looked like saloons, while others looked like old-fashioned houses. Plank sidewalks connected the businesses, with periodic barrels doubling as trashcans. There was a general store, a dentist’s office, a town museum, a post office, a bar and grill, a craft store, an antique store, and a barbershop with a striped pole out front.”
In other words, Colson looks exactly like a set from an old Western TV series more than a real town build during that period.
Ohhhhhhhh....Fudge!
Quick: picture an image in your mind of the fudge. What color was it? Chance are—overwhelming—brown, black, tan or some sort of dark color. The phrase “white fudge” occurs more than fifty times in the novel, including the title of a chapter named for the confection. And who is the creator of this unusual—not rare by any means—colored fudge? Belinda White, proprietor of the Sweet Tooth Ice Cream and Candy Shoppe. And what is the significance of this white fudge made by Mrs. White? In the words of the novel’s young protagonist:
“Dad, the white fudge is addictive.”
The reader will be left to determine the particular symbolism associated with the imagery of white fudge dependent upon their age and sophistication.
Strangers with Magic Candy
It is only directed mentioned once, but the moral of the classic fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel” is pervasive through the novel. The two main children protagonists are Nate and Summer. And the potential villains are any of several practicing witches; or magicians, at any rate.
