Remember the first time you saw the Great Hall at Hogwarts or inside the Deathstar in Star Wars or even the library at Downton Abby? Remember how you said to yourself, “Wow! How cool is that!” You wanted to be there, just live there and take it all in. For a brief moment, it sort of didn’t matter what the people in the story did, you just wanted to see it all; to walk around the place and check it all out. That’s what The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is like. It’s a visual dessert, rich and gooey.
Morgenstern creates a circus that is only open from dusk to dawn and magically appears in a town without warning. Where everything smells like caramel and the attractions are all fantastically designed in black and white. It’s luscious and rich. What the circus-goers don’t know is that the tents and stages are an elaborate playing field for a fierce competition between two magicians who must compete to the death. The circus is assembled by them as they compete for the ultimate prize. What their coaches don’t know is that the competitors have fallen in love and are working together to end the game without dismantling the circus itself.
The Night Circus is stylish, it’s beautiful and the stuff of dreams. But I’m not so sure it’s such a captivating story. I was enthralled by the visual imagery and could imagine the movie version of this book. (I think the author could too.) The book is tailor-made for the big screen. Its intricate set pieces and costumes a’ la turn of the 20th century London with bowlers, bustles and corsets and intricate black and white tents and clocks make us immediately think of Tim Burton. Sort of over-the-top Victorian meets Goth. Morgenstern does a beautiful job imagining her world and providing us with all the details to make it come alive.
However her story falls a little short. Her set up of characters and plot lines is good, but somewhere along the way, the story wanders. We’re never sure what the game was all about and how it’s even played. Characters are introduced but not really used for their potential to turn the story or create action. When you take away the beautiful set and the fancy trimmings, you realize you’re not so sure how the story got to its conclusion. All the sudden you’re just there.
I give Morgenstern a pass though. She’s young and this is her first novel – a high wire act for sure. Her background is in theater and studio art and it shows. The book is beautifully rendered and described in detail. Your eye is drawn away by colorful characters and a fantastical setting while her storytelling needs more work. But isn’t that what magicians are all about? Making you look over here so you can’t see what’s going on over there? I, for one, will be looking for her next novel as she hones her act of smoke and mirrors and truly creates magic with her words.
