DECEMBER’S BOOK OF THE MONTH
This author’s debut novel, The Night Circus, is one of my all-time favourites and I’ve been waiting impatiently, for quite some time, for a follow up.
When I heard about The Starless Sea, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. It turns out to be an epic and complex story, with so many twists and turns that the plot becomes as labyrinthine as the world that it creates. You don’t so much read The
Starless Sea as experience it.
Zachary Rawlins is the son of a fortune-teller. He’s at college, and is supposed to be writing a thesis on video games, but instead is spending the long, cold winter compulsively reading novels.
One day he comes across a curious-looking book called Sweet Sorrows. He starts to read it and discovers one of the compelling and strange stories inside is about the son of a fortune-teller. It tells of an incident from Zachary’s own childhood that he has never told anyone about.
Trying to solve the puzzle of this book leads Zachary on a dangerous quest, from a glittering masked ball in New York to a threateningly strange and secret club, and finally through a magical doorway to an underground sanctuary that is filled with stories.
This extraordinary world is under threat and the doorways that lead to it are one-by-one being destroyed. Together with strangers he meets along the way, Zachary attempts to save it, finding his own story in the process.
This oversimplifies what is a multi-layered plot rich with magic, myth and enchantment. Extracts from Sweet Sorrows and other tales are interspersed with Zachary’s storyline, and the book is filled with symbols – bees, keys, swords – stories that go to deep, dark places, and people who aren’t what they seem.
The Starless Sea demands patience and attention. If you’re a fan of magical realism you will want to set aside some time and thoroughly immerse yourself in it, so it’s a great pick for the holidays.
This is a hugely imaginative piece of fantasy. There were times I felt as lost in its pages as Zachary seemed to be, and I’m not sure I understood it entirely, so am desperate to read it again. I suspect this is a book that people are going to either love or hate – I’m definitely a lover! • The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, Penguin Random House, RRP $38.