The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern begins with a whisper
of magic. In the quiet chill of the night you find yourself standing by a set
of twisted iron gates, waiting for the opening hour to strike. The dark grounds
of the circus inside look lifeless and the hushed crowd are starting to get
restless.
Suddenly the silence is broken by the popping of flickering
white lights. A startling sparkle teasingly dots out the characters of a hidden
sign. A young lady appears smiling in the brightened ticket booth and the crowd
wriggles into an orderly queue.
Soon it is your turn. You clutch your ticket, and enter a
star-filled tunnel where you are greeted by the faint smell of caramel. At the
end of the tunnel you step into a well lit courtyard, and look up, dazed, at
the towering black- and-white striped tents.
Erin Morgenstern invites you to wander the dreamlike world
of a circus. A circus which arrives unexpectedly and unannounced, pitching at
the many corners of the world; only opening at night-time and leaving in the
light of dawn, with little sign it was ever there.
As you tentatively pull open each red laced page you reveal
the tents of illusionists and trapeze artists, you indulge in the tastes of secret
midnight dinners, delve into the mysteries of tarot card readers, while
watching a romance enfold under the stars.
The Night Circus moves in anticipation of what next scene
will be revealed, yet the one that follows proves to be just as satisfying as
the last, each character swirling in an exquisitely sumptuous costume, the
details meticulously planned, yet made to look effortless by the author.
Not much else can be said about Erin Morgenstern’s debut
without diminishing the magic of this enchanting creation, except that this
author possesses the power to envelop you in world that is a rush to senses.
However if you dare to look away from the page the world
will escape you, fading in the brightness of your bedside light, and leaving
only a lingering smell of caramel.
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