“Was” by Geoff Ryman

As devout a Judy Garland fan as I am, I’ve never been much of an admirer of “The Wizard of Oz.” I always found it to be a wash of superficial bubbliness. I think that’s why I adore Was. Jumping from the “real” Dorothy in 1890’s Kansas to a dying gay actor in the 1980’s (with a Judy Garland cameo in between), the book examines the underbelly of how we all have a relationship to this story, for better or worse.