Every year, as the calendar turns toward Thanksgiving and the Christmas lights begin to twinkle, I find myself pulling this specific volume off the shelf. It has become a ritual as essential to my holiday season as pumpkin pie or hanging a wreath.
Back to the Mansion
For those who haven't met them, the book follows the three iconic witches from The Witches of Eastwick. Now widowed and having drifted apart over the years, Alexandria, Jane, and Suki decide to return to Eastwick for the summer.
But the world has changed. The grand Lenox Mansion where they once caused such a stir has been chopped up into modern condos. As they settle back into the town, they don't just reconnect with each other; they reconnect with their magic. This time, however, their power isn't about chaos—it’s about restitution. They use their craft to right past wrongs: Suki heals an old lover’s hand, and Alexandra helps a woman fulfill her dream of motherhood.
More Yesterdays than Tomorrows
Why do I keep coming back to this story? As I’ve gotten older, I’ve reached that vantage point where I realize I have more yesterdays than tomorrows. Updike captures the specific weight of that realization beautifully.
Identifying with these witches is easy when you’re navigating:
The physical and emotional reality of aging.
The quiet spaces left behind by lost loved ones.
The inevitable shadow of our own mortality.
The heavy, sometimes dusty, trunk of past regrets.
The Eastwick Audit
This annual read has birthed a tradition I call my personal "Eastwick Audit." I use the witches’ journey as a mirror to look back over my own year. I ask myself: What parts of myself have I lost touch with? What wrongs do I need to make right?
A few years ago, this reflection led me to a difficult realization. I had ended a friendship with a woman because I thought she was being unfairly negative about a mutual friend. I assumed she was just jealous and cut her off entirely.
But as time passed, I saw with my own eyes that every warning she gave me was true. My "magic" that year wasn't supernatural; it was the simple, humbling act of reaching out, apologizing, and making amends.
Conclusion
Ultimately, The Widows of Eastwick reminds me that while we cannot turn back the clock, we are never too old to transform our perspective. We don't need a literal cauldron to stir up a little grace or to heal a relationship that we severed in a moment of poor judgment. As the year draws to a close, I’ve realized that the most powerful magic we possess isn't the ability to change the past, but the courage to face it, learn from it, and walk into our remaining tomorrows with a lighter heart and a clearer conscience.
Carolina Dean
Old-Fart
Links
- The Witches of Eastwick, John Updike
- The Widow of Eastwick, John Updike
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