The Night Circus is one of those books that made me excited about reading again. You know what I mean. You finish a book, and you’re in a slump. You’re looking for something to read again, to take you away from your humdrum everyday existence. The Night Circus is one of those books. It was one of those books I’d been meaning to read — you know, it’s eternally on my “To Read” list — so I’m glad that a colleague finally lent me the book.
And I must say — it was such a joy to read.
Spoilers below, blablabla. You have been warned.
Celia Bowen, daughter of Hector Bowen, shows up on his doorstep one day. He decides to groom her as a magician or illusionist (whichever term you may prefer) in order to pit her against Mr A. H.’s protegée, Marco, an orphan. The Night Circus is the venue of the challenge — once the young children grow up, they work at the circus and are pitted against each other. The rules of the challenge are not explicitly stated, just that Hector does not like collaboration. Along the way, the shareholders of the circus are affected by the challenge, resulting in a pair of twins being born at the circus. (One is allowed to see the past and the other the future). On the other hand, some people perish when they are caught in certain feuds or start to ask too many questions.
It is difficult to summarise a sprawling book with such a huge cast, but what strikes me most about the book is the writing style. The circus is described in a lot of detail, with each black and white striped tent hidden with surprises. The reader is taken to many of the tents, one with a fortune teller, the illusionist’s tent, and a tent of mazes (the list goes on), and the detail is breathtaking, but not excessive. I very much enjoyed reading those scenes.
Then, there was the matter of Celia figuring out who her opponent was. At her audition, Marco turns white upon seeing that she is incredibly proficient at what she does, and it only takes a chance meeting several chapters later for her to figure out who he is. I thought it was fairly obvious and the book could be sped up a little, but it seems that its appeal lies in taking painstaking detail of revealing to the reader each wonder of the circus. I did not mind this, and I understand that it made for a slower paced book, I felt that that very part, at least, did not make sense.
Another part I admired about the book was how the writer was able to create chemistry between the two characters, Celia and Marco. Romance is hard to do, and this was no exception. The scene where they kiss at one of the parties where members of the circus is well-written, with the magical elements enhancing the kind of chemistry they have together.
However, I found it contrived that one of the members of the circus used to be part of a previous challenge rather contrived, but perhaps I have to re-read the book a bit more carefully to sieve any foreshadowing. If there was, I don’t think that it was done well.
The Night Circus is a book I would recommend, especially if one is in a reading slump. It certainly took me out of mine.
Featured image from Goodreads