Parallel Novels

Do you know what a parallel novel is? You may have heard it called a “re-imagining.” Typically, a parallel novel is a piece of fiction that takes place within or during another piece of fiction or tells a story derived from a separate piece of fiction. Parallel novels pay homage to the fiction they are borrowing from, as opposed to a parody whose purpose is to mock the original piece of fiction. What fascinates me about parallel novels is the conversation they open between old and new. Often, people who author parallel novels do it from the point of view of a minor character or even a maligned one. These novels force the audience to question whose story gets told and whose does not.

One of the more popular parallel novels is Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. Gregory Maguire is known for his re-imaginings of fairy tales. He has written novels of Cinderella (Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister), Snow White (Mirror, Mirror), The Nutcracker (Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker), and more. Wicked is a reimagining of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Both books are in the Mercer County Library System collection. Wicked is a parallel novel, but it is also a prequel as it takes place before Dorothy’s adventures. The novel follows the life of the Wicked Witch of the West and explains how she became “wicked,” as well as how she crossed paths with Dorothy on her fateful final day. (For those who are fans of the film or play, the ending is very different in the novel). The exploration of what makes a villain a villain has become quite popular in pop culture, and that is largely because of the success of Wicked, which went on to be a successful play and film franchise. Without Wicked, we would not have films like Maleficant and Cruella.

Julia by Sandra Newman is a parallel novel to George Orwell’s 1984. The dystopian classic follows Winston Smith as he tries and fails to escape the totalitarian systems of his world. Julia is Winston’s lover and fellow rebel, and if you have ever wondered what she was doing when she was not present in 1984, Sandra Newman has you covered - and so does MCLS as we have 1984 and Julia in our collection. One of the criticisms of Orwell’s classic is that Julia is not a fully formed character, but a vehicle for Winston’s own political growth and sexual pleasure. There are very few female characters in 1984, and Julia is the only major one. Newman makes Julia a more well-rounded character with her own motivations; Newman also fills out what life is like in Oceania through Julia’s perspective.

Another novel that flips protagonist and sidekick is James by Percival Everett. James is a parallel novel to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. In Huckleberry Finn, the titular Huck and enslaved runaway, Jim, try to escape to Illinois. James tells the same story, but from Jim’s point of view. It should be noted that James won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. By exploring the interior life of Jim, the audience discovers that Jim’s slave patois is a put on to make white people more comfortable, that he knows how to read (in defiance of the law) and has studied the philosophers in Judge Thatcher’s library. There is also a stunning revelation about Jim’s family towards the end of the book. While Mark Twain is considered one of America’s premier authors, Percival Everett’s reframing of Jim’s story shines a light on the parts of America Twain did not write about.

These three novels are just a small sample of the many that can be found in our collection. MCLS carries titles like Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, a prequel/parallel novel of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. Wide Sargasso Sea explains the life of the mad wife Mr. Rochester kept in his attic. The Penelopiad by Margret Atwood explains what Odysseus’ wife Penelope was doing during The Odyssey. The Wind Done Gone by Alice Randall is a parallel novel of Gone with the Wind that follows an original character but sheds a different light on all the inhabitants of Tara (called Tata in The Wind Done Gone). There is also a book you may have had to read in high school, Grendel by John Gardner; a look at the Old English epic, Beowulf, from the point of view of the monster, Grendel. Whether you prefer the classics or the re-imaginings, MCLS has your literary needs met with copies of both and we hope you stop in to enjoy our collection!

 -Shanna, Lawrence Branch