Erin Morgenstern’s second novel is an achingly beautiful love letter to stories and their power. The story follows Zachary, a twenty-five-year-old college student who picks up a book in which he is inexplicably a character and his quest to unravel this mystery.
This is a story, but it is also an experience; wound through the overarching narrative are other short stories. The decision to alternate the chapters with the short stories made the book genuinely interesting to read. While it initially slowed the pace, as the links across the stories become more overt, it was a genuine delight to read them. Additionally, each story was quite lovely in its own right so with that in mind, the slow pace actually served to make me savour the delicacy of the writing and reflect upon the contents of each short story rather than simply rush back into the primary narrative. Moreover, the overlapping stories have themes in common in addition to ultimately contributing to the resolution and explanation of the story, creating a rich tapestry that builds to a crescendo that truly augments the denouement of The Starless Sea. Therefore, in the way that she has constructed this book, Morgenstern seems to be making a comment about the nature of stories; how the shape us, how the stories that hold meaning for us truly imprint themselves upon us, how we craft stories about ourselves. The Starless Sea is thus an ode to the power of stories and books, and a wonderful one at that. It was particularly delightful to see the inclusion of a discussion regarding videogames as stories, something I’ve spoken about in the past. It speaks to Morgenstern’s talent as a writer, too, that this discussion did not feel shoehorned in, nor did its inclusion detract from the tone of the book.
The plot and the broader storylines are heightened by Morgenstern’s beautiful prose. It is truly lovely to read a fantasy book that revels in the use of language, thus proving that the genre can be literary in its prose. Zachary’s narrative thread is told in present tense, which I’ve previously noted I don’t always enjoy reading. Indeed, at times, it threw me a little out of the story as it distracted from the immediacy of some moments (worth noting that Natasha Ngan’s Girls of Paper and Fire uses present tense almost flawlessly). However, given the multifaceted nature of the story’s construction, the decision to employ present tense makes sense and it also fits the more literary voice and tone of the novel.
Moreover, the book is a New Adult novel in a way that’s very obviously New Adult. It’s refreshing, given how often-maligned such books are, despite their importance. For this reason, the soul searching related to questions of ‘who am I’, and even the romantic awakening that is a staple of Young Adult books is absent. Zachary is gay. He knows this. There is no angst over his sexual orientation. Similarly, he is aware of key aspects to his personhood; he is passionate about videogames, he is reasonably introverted, he is comfortable with being a cocktail connoisseur. It made Zachary extraordinarily relatable to me, given that I am a new adult (and also I love videogames, am reasonably introverted, and I’ve been known to down a cocktail or two in my time). Zachary’s quest for meaning in his life is thus not one premised around formative questions but around the questions that are typical of people who have made some headway into forging an ‘adult’ life but are wondering how this will lead them into a more settled existence.
As the book progresses, the extent of Morgenstern’s skill at crafting a world becomes apparent. The descriptions of the various settings efficiently yet clearly paint a portrait of them but don’t bog the reader down in unnecessary detail. That was a blessing as the final few chapters of the story, while overall were clear, did leave me with a few uncertainties. While perhaps there could have been a greater explanation on some of the ‘reveals’, it could just as easily be said that the pseudo-absurdism that Morgenstern draws upon in creating some aspects of her world which mimic that which we find in dreams and certain stories that endure across time. More than being frustrated with the fact that everything wasn’t tied up in a bow that I could easily undo, I’m inclined to re-read The Starless Sea to re-examine the various interwoven pieces to better understand how the fit together in explaining the story and its conclusion.
The Starless Sea is a literary triumph; a beautiful story told in the most delicate of ways. I thoroughly recommend you read it.
The Starless Sea is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Circus, a timeless love story set in a secret underground world–a place of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a starless sea.
Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues–a bee, a key, and a sword–that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library, hidden far below the surface of the earth. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians–it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also those who are intent on its destruction. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly-soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose–in both the mysterious book and in his own life.
