Hotel Magnifique

Hotel Magnifique is a young adult novel and one of magical realism, a subgenre of the fantasy category. While fantasy relies on fantastical and/or supernatural elements such as magic, otherworldly creatures, and mythological references, magical realism frames these elements as mundane and treats them as a normal part of life. In works of magical realism, characters experience the supernatural as ordinary. The narratives typically offer little to no background as to the origins or workings of its magical elements. Other works of fantasy that do not feature magic realism tend to either be set in an unmistakably fantastical setting, such as J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series, or introduce magic as a novel element, such as J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.

The narrative provides information on the rules of magic but suggests that they are common knowledge to that world’s inhabitants. Jani is initially awed by the hotel’s magic only because she has never witnessed magic directly, not because she was unaware of its existence. She uncovers more information about the Société des Suminaires over the course of the story, not because magic has suddenly appeared in the world, but because that information was kept hidden from the public. In this way, Hotel Magnifique frames magic as a common occurrence in the characters’ world. Its existence is natural and well established; the mystery that surrounds it is only due to the danger it poses and the subsequent ostracization of suminaires.

In works of magical realism, magic is a symbolic narrative device. In Hotel Magnifique, the characters’ artéfacts reflect their nature and “soul’s desire” (162), or their driving force. For instance, Bel’s key, which he uses to transport the hotel to different places, highlights his desire to find Home and Belonging. Additionally, Jani highlights the symbolism of Béatrice’s gears: “I think your desire to always keep us together, to fix any of us who feel broken, manifests in your gears” (336). Magical realism enhances the authenticity of a character’s emotional journey; it is fantastical but emotionally true and focused on human experiences instead of lofty adventures.

Hotel Magnifique features a fictional world with detailed history and precise geography. The protagonist, for instance, often provides background information about the locations the hotel visits, describing the different countries’ sociopolitical climates, currency, or cultural attitudes. Although entirely fictional, many of these places and the characters that inhabit them have distinctly French-sounding names, such as Durc, Aligney, Verdanne, Champilliers, Bézier Residence, Janine Lafayette, Béatrice, Madame des Rêves, Céleste, etc. This adds a sense of authenticity to the narrative, anchoring it in a specific real-life culture. It also contributes to the novel’s atmosphere, drawing on cultural stereotypes to enhance the magic of the hotel.

Although no time period is specified, the narrative seems to take place in a generic romanticized past that includes servants in uniforms, exotic aviaries, chandeliers, candle-lit hallways, hand-drawn maps, ball gowns, and wigs. The indistinct time frame of the story conveys the hotel’s longstanding legacy and the suminaires’ longer-than-average lives. When Jani turns the captive suminaires back into their human forms at the end of the novel, she comments that some of them “[are] decked out in glittering frock coats, silken capes, and corseted gowns from another time” (376).