Between my epistolary reading challenge and my love for books, I’ve been reading a lot of “books about books” lately. (So much so that I’ve added a new tag just to track all my metafictional adventures.) It should come as no surprise, then, that I’ve been excited to read Meg Shaffer’s The Wishing Game since I first heard about it. The story follows a former fan of a children’s book series who’s invited to participate in a literary puzzle hunt dreamt up by the author. Can you say book-lover wish fulfillment? And so, when I was lucky enough to get a gift copy from Ballantine, I couldn’t wait to get started.

I’ll preface these thoughts with my expectations going in. I loved so many series going up; participating in a book puzzle hunt held by any of the authors would have been a dream come true. In fact, many of my favorite stories involve a puzzle hunt, from The Westing Game to The Twyford Code. So I was really looking forward to that element, as well as the wish-fulfillment of fan-author interaction. That said, puzzle hunts can be tricky to write – especially if the puzzles are weak – unless there’s some other compensatory factor. I’m a bit picky – but was really hoping The Wishing Game could fill the puzzling hole in my recent reading…

Come for the puzzles?

The Wishing Game promises a literary scavenger hunt from any book nerd’s dreams. Its main protagonist, Lucy Hart, grew up loving a series of children’s adventure books, Clock Island. A decade or so later, she’s passed on her love for the series to her student, Christopher, who she hopes to adopt. Unfortunately, adoption is expensive and, despite years of saving, Lucy hasn’t been able to save enough. So when the author of the series invites Lucy and four other fans to his private island for the chance to win a final manuscript, it’s pretty clear that she’ll go.

What follows is a puzzle hunt that feels thematically somewhere between The Westing Game and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Jack Masterson, the author, is very much alive, and hopes to share the manuscript with a deserving fan (much like Wonka).But here, deserving means, at least in part, “able to solve the most puzzles”. Masterson has also included tests of character and moral fiber to ensure that the manuscript goes to a deserving winner.

Based on the above description, you’d be forgiven for assuming that the book is chock-full of clever, twisty puzzles. But Shaffer’s puzzle hunt is honestly a little lackluster, mixing familiar puzzles with those requiring physical presence or fictional context to solve. Based on the publisher’s descriptions, I’d come in excited to read and solve new puzzles – so reader beware on that front.

Stay for the found family

But the lack of puzzles was more than mitigated by a heartwarming story – actually, two parallel stories. Shaffer’s novel explores the idea of found family through parallel arcs: Lucy and Christopher, and Jack and his protégé, Hugo Reese. Lucy loves Christopher deeply, and the novel centers her willingness to fight for their relationship. Similarly, Jack clearly adores Hugo, and their relationship serves as almost a foil – an exploration of the risks and rewards of choosing to expand your family.

The two arcs are heartwarming and comforting, with just the amount of predictability I wanted while reading. Sometimes, you just need that gooey, cheesy story to remind you there’s good in the world. Here, Shaffer creates a cozy fable, a story to curl up with. (It’s particularly comforting for those who want or need a validation of found families. I read this at a tricky time in relation to my own family, and curling up with The Wishing Game, a blanket, and a mug of tea was as good a balm as any.)

Reader’s notes & rating (⭐⭐⭐)

I picked up The Wishing Game at the just the time I needed it – at a time when things were stressful on a personal front. If you’re looking for the literary equivalent of a warm hug – particularly in the family context – I cannot recommend this enough. If, however you’re excited about the puzzle hunt aspects of the premise, I might give this a pass. Three stars.

The Wishing Game was published on May 30, 2023.