As Erin Morgensterns’ first novel ‘The Night Circus’ is truly captivating. The genre is hard to place, because although it is fantasy, it seemed to me to be more of an adult fairy tale.
At it’s most basic level, it is a love story. The novel starts with a rivalry between two gentlemen, who have selected players to prove which of their teaching methods are better. The forum for this competition will be the Circus. We track the birth of the ‘Cirque Des Reves’, the battling of the two players as they discover who the other is, and the tolling effects their magic is having on those within the circus. As the novel progresses they must work out a way to beat the other, although this is complicated by their love for one another.
The characters are wonderful, each one multifaceted and with mysteries of their own. Morgenstern introduces us to a wealth of people, but without creating too many characters to keep track of. The Murray twins and Tsukiko the Contortionist are particularly interesting. The main characters, Celia and Marco, use tents to display their love and interact with one another, which allows the reader to discover them alongside their lover.
Several themes and motifs occur throughout. We are presented at the very start with the tale of Merlin being trapped in the tree, and throughout freedom, entrapment and bonding recur. The idea of magic, but also of dreams and manipulating reality are key. Interestingly these are weighed up beside the fine line between what is and what is not real. Mr. Barris and Herr Fredriksen are especially important as architect and clockmaker at showing how their engineering borders on magical.
Stylistically, Morgenstern writes with a beautiful flowing prose, that is as enchanting and ensnaring to the reader as the content. She flicks between past and present, using a third person narrator, to reveal snippets of information which keeps you intrigued throughout. The descriptions are particularly vivid, with as Morgenstern pays particular attention to all five senses, ensuring the reader can create a powerful mental image of all aspects of both characters and circus.
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