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The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern
When I first read this Book, about four maybe five years ago, I loved it. At the time it was one of the most enthralling books I had ever read, and I recall falling into its pages for extremely long stretches of time, seemingly unable to climb out. When I saw it a few weeks ago displayed tantalisingly on a shelf in the library, I was suddenly reminded of the wonder and the joy of it, and I could not resist taking it out to see if I could relive the same magic again. I'm not a massive reader-of-things-twice - I could count the books I've read more than once on my fingers - but I decided that this one was worth it. I loved it enough the first time round, and it had been long enough that I couldn't remember its every nuance and detail. And I'm so glad I read it again. It was absolutely as good as I remember it, and remains one of the most enthralling books I have ever read. It's brilliant.
The main thing that makes this book so magical is the setting. It's a circus, that opens its gates at sundown and shuts them at dawn, that mysteriously packs up and moves location every few nights, materialising in a new city. And instead of being founded on clever illusions and sleights of hand, all the magic in this circus is real magic. At times the performers even consciously make their magic a little rough around the edges, or disguise it behind clever feats of engineering, so that the whole phenomenon teeters on the edge of believability. It's such a cool concept.
Morgenstern's ability to create such a dreamlike fantastical world as the circus blew me away, both times I read the book. Near the beginning, in the circus's early stages, there were some fantastic circus acts in the striped black and white tents - acrobats, a contortionist, a fortune teller, an illusionist - all with some supernatural ability. This was enchanting already, but as the book went on and the circus expanded, more and more fascinating and absorbing and joyous ideas were added into this imaginary world: an ice forest, a cloud maze, an astonishingly intricate clock that serves as the centrepiece, a tree made of wishes, a merry-go-round with horses that breathe...
All this is told with the most beautiful language. It's often very sensory, Morgenstern giving us not just the sights but the sounds, the smells, the tastes. There are also frequent passages in second person - you - describing experiences within the circus through the eyes of a patron. Morgenstern allows us readers to be fully swept up in her world, as though we are actually there, as though it were actually real. I wish it was.
But this book is not just a stunning setting; it's got a cracking story to go with it. I won't give too much away, but think drama, adventure, an ill-fated romance, and a competition with extraordinarily high stakes... It's told with alternating perspectives, following numerous characters, all of whom we grow to love, and the pace and thrill picks up and up right until the climax.
I hope I have made it clear how fantastic this book is. As a fantasy concept, it's got to be one of my favourites, and the brilliance of the central idea is absolutely matched by the thrilling plot and beautiful prose. Highly recommend!
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