Review: The Night Cicus by Erin Morgenstern

Image from Musings of a Book Lover

Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus cannot be reviewed; it must be experienced.

Morgenstern has created a story as intricate and amazing as the circus she so artfully describes. Each vinigette is its own black and white striped tent - the contents of which will astound and mystify the reader.

The Night Circus captivated my imagination and promises to be a novel I will return to again and again - each time unveiling a new and fascinating portrait of the mysteries that lie at the heart of each shade of grey.

I wrote the lines above long before I finished The Night Circus. They are as true then, having finished the novel, as they were when I was only just beginning it. As one of the characters states,

Someone needs to tell those tales.  When the battles are fought and won and lost, when the pirates find their treasures and the dragons eat their foes for breakfast with a nice cup of Lapsang souchong, someone needs to tell their bits of overlapping narrative.  There's magic in that.  It's in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict.  From the mundane to the profound.  You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose.  That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words.

It's a novel about a circus, yes, but the circus itself is merely the stage for an epic exploration of the art of storytelling.  The non-linear plot requires readers to immerse themselves in that element of the story much like the circus patrons entering into a different tent each night and becoming enchanted by its contents.  In fact, Morgenstern's writing style reminds me very much of Nicole Krauss' in The History of Love, one of my favorite books of all time.  There's a central slow-burn romance, which is full of so. much. longing that when Morgenstern finally brings the characters together in two simple sentences, I cried.  Even though the lovers themselves are central to the story, the novel follows many characters, weaving them together artfully, exploring love, friendship, passion, and obsession in a variety of mediums.

Best matched with rêveurs.

Read for the Reading Outside the Box Challenge hosted by Kate at Musings of a Book Lover
Level Four: 5 Star Day (and it earned every one of them)