Reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

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.

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.