(Havilll Secker, $37.99)
There’s been a lot of buzz about Erin oorgenstern’s first book, The Night Circus. She was paid a six-figure advance and it was touted as the book of the year before it even hit the shelves.
Set in the late 1800s/early 1900s, it has a marvellously imaginative setting – a mysterious travelling circus that appears unexpectedly in locations around the world and is only open at night.
Le Cirque des Reves doesn’t have a typical big top complete with trained animals and clowns. Instead, there are black and white tents containing fantastical treats like a garden of ice and a maze made from clouds. A hall of mirrors makes items of clothing disappear. Bottles and jars found in another tent seem empty, but contain the smell of roaring fires, the sound of waves crashing against the sand, or the sensation of a cat brushing past.
As well as incredible imagery, this book also has a grand love story between an ill-fated couple. Marco is the assistant to the circus owner, while Celia is an illusionist and one of the stars of the show. What they don’t know at first – but the reader does – is that they are adversaries in a challenge set up by the two devious men who have tutored them in the magical arts. And there can only be one winner – with dire consequences for the loser.
This is the kind of book best read in one go. It’s quite complicated, with chapters jumping backwards and forwards in time, and it’s told from the points of view of many different characters. Erin’s vivid and beautifully descriptive writing makes you long for such a wondrous place to really exist.
The Night Circus is not perfect by any means – there’s not a lot of action, some characters are underdeveloped and there are a few unanswered questions. But it’s an enchanting escape into a whimsical world (albeit with some rather dark corners) that is both mesmerising and memorable.
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