I was consumed by a novel this holiday, something that rarely happens. Before picking up The Night Circus to read, I had been struggling with reading John Grisham’s The Confession, which is about a topic of interest to me, but the characters were unappealing and the action turgid.
But The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern was a treat. It took me to a wonderful “world” inside a fantastical circus, its rich imaginings fascinating a every turn. And, for me, so was the story. I found the writing to often be elegant, and always involving.
Here’s the opening paragraph from Erin Morgenstern’s debut novel (getting tons of praise), The Night Circus:
The Circus arrives without warning.
I know it’s a one-sentence paragraph, but I could not help but read on. Story questions pop up. No warning? Why? Who ever heard of a circus coming to town without being preceded by tons of hoopla? Mysterious, eh? A little further down the page, you are rewarded with more mystery, a sign on the gates that says “Opens at Nightfall, Closes at Dawn.”
I give the novel 5 stars—while it does not make you as intimate with the characters in the way I would like, you get enough of them, and they are fascinating characters, including one of the most loathsome fathers I’ve ever met in fiction. You keep hoping he will get what comes to him, and, well . . . you'll see.
But here are words for us
At the very end, there’s a conversation about the value of stories, and a character says this:
”It (storytelling) is important. Someone needs to tell those tales. When the battles are fought 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. That is your role, your gift.”
I think that’s true. From the briefest picture book to an easy-reading middle-grade novel to, well, just about anything we write, there is that chance. That possibility of connecting with someone in a lasting way. It may only be one sentence amongst many hundreds, but it’s there.
So 3 cheers for us storytellers, and 5 stars for The Night Circus.
For what it’s worth.
Ray
© 2011 Ray Rhamey