Reading The Night Circus
I had read the book a couple of years ago and it was one of
those novels where I was completely sucked in by the cover. A stylish mix of
black and white with flashes of red made it eye catching. The paper cut
technique gave the feel of Victorian silhouettes and the promise of magic
sealed the deal for me. There is nothing I like more than a mix of Victorians
and magic. I fell in love with this book from the first illusion and I thought
it would be a treat for my book group as we came back together in the Autumn. I
re-read the book to prepare, but also checked out some online reviews to see
how other people felt about the book. I was taken aback to see one star reviews
and then started to worry that my ladies wouldn't feel the same as I did. Maybe
I was the only one to have fallen under its spell!
I needn't have worried. Despite the online reviews giving the
impression of the book as a sort of literary Marmite, the group wholeheartedly
welcomed the enchantment. So we started the lovely evening with a discussion
about those reactions. First of all there were criticisms of the structure of
the novel online with some readers feeling it was so disjointed it was
difficult to follow. My readers didn't feel that way. The novel shifts in time
and perspective with some sections following Bailey or Heir Theissen as they
fall in love with the circus and become reveurs.
Other parts go back in time and follow Celia and Marco as they are bound
together by their mentor’s magic but also pitted against each other in a
competition with the circus as a venue for their exhibition of magic. There
were also short sections that describe a room or act at the circus that address
the reader directly and take them on a journey as if they are experiencing the
circus first hand. Some readers felt that this structure took some serious
concentration and sometimes having to go back a few pages to make sure they had
just read what they thought they had. In this way the book works like a magic
trick; the author has revealed something just enough for you to wonder, but not
enough for you to see how it was done. The structure also shows exactly how
many people become drawn in to the circus and how it becomes a ripple effect.
We then talked about which illusions were our favourites.
The clock had made a huge impression on readers with most of us saying how much
we wanted one. It was an incredible piece of description that defied belief
with the incredible juggler who juggles an extra ball every hour. It was
pointed out that this was more of a feat of engineering than of magic and we
went on to discuss how the ‘real’ parts of the circus add to the illusion that
there are ‘tricks’ instead of real magic. The carousel is real but Celia adds a
tiny bit of magic leaving visitors wondering how it is done. Other readers
loved the room made from ice, with the frosted trees but also the wishing tree
where wishes were representing by the lighting of a candle. This made me think
of a tree installation I saw in NYC by Yoko Ono where people wrote their wishes
on a luggage label and tied it to a branch. Readers were dazzled by the
incredible descriptions of illusions and the performer’s clothes. Celia’s
ability to change the colour of her dress was noted, as well as Madame Padva’s
real creations worn by all the women. The parties given by Chandresh where the
circus is first discussed were the sort of parties you want to go to; an
incredible mix of beautiful and interesting guests, spectacular clothes and
food, followed by interesting talk and entertainment.
Re-readers were surprised by how dark they found the novel
on a second reading. Celia’s father particularly was harsh in his training and
his attitude towards her as a project rather than a daughter. He shows her no
warmth or love. Furthermore, the methods of training her are painful and
sadistic. For a start the ring that binds her to her opponent is burned into
her finger with searing pain. Then when teaching to break things and put them
back together he cuts her fingers till they bleed again and again until she can
heal then. On one occasion he breaks her hand and it takes her a long time to
heal the broken bones. His need to win the competition overrides his daughter’s
happiness and it is only later in the novel that Celia fully understands the
challenge and what it means for both winner and loser. She has no idea that
there have been other opponents before her until the contortionist Tsukiko
reveals that she has completed the challenge long ago and she is alive because
she was the winner. She lowers her kimono and reveals her ring burned into the
skin of her collar bone. Celia knows then that whether she or Marco gains the
upper hand, nobody will win.
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Despite the dark undertones, that build as the novel moves
along, most readers came away with a sense of awe and wonder. Despite negative
reviews about the sheer amount of description in the novel all of my readers
luxuriated in it, rather than worrying that the story was being slowed down.
The structure is like visiting the circus; you have a destination in mind, but
keep getting tempted into other tents where what you see makes you want to
stay. Just as Bailey keeps finding new parts of the circus despite his
familiarity the novel keeps revealing a new layer that you didn’t know was
there. One reader commented on the circus being like a Tardis – at one point
the twins take Bailey upstairs and you realise there are levels as well as all
the side streets and unexplored alley ways. When the readers thought of the
circus they were imagining a particular size surrounded by gates but once you
get inside its much larger. There were also comments of the fact that the
circus repels those who shouldn't be there. No one can get inside when it is
closed, yet Bailey can slip through the bars unnoticed. We then discussed the
circus as a living, breathing entity of its own. Even though it has been set up
by the group meeting for dinner, with underlying purpose of hosting the
challenge, the circus lives. Somehow it knows that it needs Bailey to ensure
its future and it bends the rules so he can meet his destiny in Poppet.
The love story was discussed with many different ideas put
forward. One reader felt like the rings burned into Celia and Marco’s wedding
finger sealed their destiny – not just in relation to the challenge but as
lovers. It was like an arranged marriage where they have been betrothed from
birth and nothing they do in the meantime matters. The love connection is so
strong that Marco’s existing relationship with Isabel doesn't stand a chance; even
she can see that their love is inevitable. Another reader wondered if it was
the fact that the ring was on their fingers that meant they fell in love, but
then later it became clear that Tsukiko felt the same way about her opponent.
It is only then that Celia realises that the object of the challenge is not to
test their skill but their stamina. The illusions themselves don’t matter, as
long as one of them outlasts and outlives the other. Ironically it is Celia’s
father’s invisible state that gives her the hint of an idea that might change the
outcome of the challenge. What if she and Marco become like him, invisible and living
within the confines of the circus? One reader described them as in another
dimension, while another calls them ghosts haunting the circus forever. Their
ability to be free and be together overcomes the confines of the challenge
completely but we are not sure whether her father will learn his lesson or
whether he will simply find a new subject for his training. Now that Marco’s
mentor has proved he could take an orphan off the street and teach him there
are no barriers to the challenge carrying on indefinitely. We finally discussed
other books that readers might enjoy such as Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell
by Susanna Clarke or The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton.
