Review: The Night Circus

by Nicole Duquette

When night falls, a black and white tunnel is all that separates anxious circus-goers from the mysterious Cirque des Rèves. The aptly named circus within Erin Morgenstern’s debut novel, The Night Circus, is a self-contained magical world that invites the reader to lose themselves in the many black and white tents containing unimaginable spectacles.

The circus comes and goes without warning, is only open after dark, and is the home of an ongoing duel between two powerful magicians. Celia and Marco have been pitted against each other to defend their respective mentor’s opposing schools of thought. The challenge is further complicated by the fact that the competitors unwittingly fall in love. The circus itself and its inhabitants become inextricably entangled in the manoeuvres each player makes as they struggle to learn the rules of their challenge, appease their mentor’s, and protect their powerful love.

Morgenstern’s richly descriptive prose draws the reader into a theatrical world which is contrastingly full of colour and texture, and the world of the circus which is completely devoid of colour, but decorated with magic that is more real than any of the spectators realize. The narrative moves quickly, exploring complex mysteries that span a vast amount of space and time.

The plot is driven forward by the intriguing mysteries surrounding the rules of the challenge, the identity of Celia and Marco’s mentors, the management of the circus, and the astonishing skill of the circus’s illusionist. However, readers looking for complete explanations of all the mysteries will be left disappointed. Some explanations are offered, some are hinted at, and some only raise more questions than they answer. The sense of continued bewilderment that the reader is left with is simultaneously part of the novel’s charm and completely infuriating.

Upon being asked if he wants to know how the illusionist performs her impressive tricks, Herr Thiessen, one of Le Cirque des Rèves biggest fans, says, “I prefer to remain unenlightened, to better appreciate the dark.” Readers of The Night Circus would benefit from adopting the same attitude. The mysteries are not all solved and the questions are not all answered, but if one is able to suspend the insatiable curiosity the circus stimulates, there are unlimited marvels to discover.

When visiting the circus, be on the lookout for a carousel made of living animals, a contortionist with a unique tattoo, red-headed twins with hidden talents, exceptional acrobats, a garden made of ice, a menagerie of paper animals, talented kittens, disappearing women, and other treasures that are hiding around every corner.