5: The Night Circus

By: Erin Morgenstern
Finished: February 27
Pages: 387

"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world." -Oscar Wilde


I fell in love with the packaging of this book a long time before I actually read it. I suppose it should come as no surprise, since the covers are lined in black and white striped paper, and the intervening pages between chapters and sections look as if you were staring up, out of a striped tent, at the starry sky. This novel is a feast for the senses and the emotions. It fascinates me that a book taking place in a world that is almost entirely black and white can have such detailed and inspired imagery. This is the story of a game, a challenge between two opposing forces, to the death. Okay, that might be a little spoiler-y, but I figured this out really early on and I don't feel bad about saying it. The circus is a world of black and white, even the ground is magically painted, and everything in it, and all the decorations and tents and fascinating illusions are equally white, black, and shades of grey, populated with imaginative and fantastic people, costumes, acts, like Cirque du Soleil on steroids but with magic.
I read this in two sittings, half each time. It reads quickly and poetically to its surprising yet heartwarming conclusion.

"The circus arrives without warning. The black sign painted in white letters that hangs upon the gates, the one that reads:
Opens at Nightfall
Closes at Dawn"

The circus has a huge clock, which tells not only the time, but stories, and changes just as magically as the rest of the circus. It is a beautiful dream of a clock, made by Herr Thiessen, who becomes just as involved int he circus as any outsider can be. Writing about his experiences, he brings together strangers who love the circus as much as he does. "We add our own stories," he says, "each visitor, each visit, each night spent at the circus. I suppose there will never be a lack of things to say, of stories to be told and shared." (223)
The varied cast of characters is my favorite thing, next to the imagery, but the two are intrinsically tied.
There is Celia, the illusionist and one of the two combatants. "She lifts her hand in a delicate gesture at the raven. In response it caws again and spears it s large wings, taking flight and swooping toward the state, gaining speed as it approaches. Descending quickly it dives, flying directly at Celia and not wavering or slowing as it reaches the states, but approaching at full speed. Chandresh jumps back with a start, almost falling over Marco as the raven crashes into Celia in a flurry of feathers. And then it is gone. Not a single feather remains and Celia is once again wearing a puffed-sleeve black jacket, already buttoned over her black-and-white gown. Celia bows, taking the opportunity to retrieve her gloves from the floor" (77)
While her relationship with Marco, the other combatant, is perhaps the more romantic one, I feel that the relationship between her and Herr Thiessen, the clockmaker, is more heart warming and sweet. Communicating through letters and writings about Le Cirque des Reves, they become friends, but do not meet. When they finally do, Freiderick surprises Celia because he doesn't ask about her tricks.
"'Why haven't you asked me how I do my tricks?' Celia asks, once they have reached the point where she is certain he is not simply being polite about the matter.
Frederick considers the question thoroughly before he responds.
'Because I do not with to know,' he says. 'I prefer to remain unenlightened, to better appreciate the dark.'" (183)
Then there is Marco, whose studious exterior belies his temperamental and passionate nature. He grows to love Celia even knowing that someone terrible must happen to one of them.
Isobel, the fortune teller who is both Marco's lover, and the circus's temperance.
The twins, born the night the circus opened, with special talents all their own. Poppet who can see the future in the stars, and Widget who can tell the stories of the past, and read the past in people's eyes.
Tsukiko, a mysterious, secretive woman who is the circus's first performer, and a contortionist.
When one of the characters dies, Marco creates a place for Celia, so that she can feel comforted even when he is gone from the circus. It is one of my favorite places in the circus, and one that I wish was real enough to visit.
"The Pool of Tears
Memories begin to creep forward from hidden corners of our mind. Passing disappointments. Lost chances and lost causes. Heartbreaks and pain and desolate, horrible loneliness.
Sorrows you thought long forgotten mingle with still-fresh wounds.
The stone feels heavier in your hand.
When you drop it in the pool to join the rest of the stones, you feel lighter. As though you have released something more than a smooth polished piece of rock." (283)

I think that it would be difficult to read this book and not want to visit the circus. I am so impressed by this first work by what seems to be an up and coming great writer.

Good Reading,
Caitlin