HOFFMAN, ALICE

born March 16, 1952, New York, N.Y., U.S. American novelist whose books about women in search of their identities mix realism and the supernatural. Hoffman was educated at Adelphi University, Garden City, New York (B.A., 1973), and Stanford (California) University (M.A., 1975) and began her professional writing career by contributing short stories to magazines. Her first novel, Property Of (1977), which traces the one-year relationship of a suburban girl and a gang leader, is both gritty and romantic. Many of Hoffman's other novels also deal with complex relationships, such as Angel Landing (1980), a love story set near a nuclear power plant on Long Island, New York; White Horses (1982), which concerns a girl's struggle to rid herself of incestuous feelings for her older brother; and Illumination Night (1987), the story of a young couple whose marriage is challenged by a teenage girl. In At Risk (1988) a young girl with AIDS sparks varied reactions from her family and community. Seventh Heaven (1990) concerns an unconventional divorce in a Long Island suburb in 195960, and Turtle Moon (1992) contemplates the status of single mothers. Hoffman's other works include The Drowning Season (1979), Fortune's Daughter (1985), Second Nature (1994), Practical Magic (1995; filmed 1998), and Here on Earth (1997). Hoffman also wrote the children's book Fireflies (1997).