FICTION

Carnivalesque

by Neil JORDAN
320p. Bloomsbury. Jun. 2017. Tr $27. ISBN 9781632868145.
COPY ISBN
Andy enters Burleigh's Amazing Hall of Mirrors as a young boy, puzzled by his parents' failing marriage and intrigued by the carnival attraction. Once inside, he becomes trapped behind the mirrors as his doppelgänger walks out. As Andy is taken under the wing of an aerialist named Mona, the reflection who replaces him lives with Andy's parents, confounding his mother as he matures. The carnival is an evocatively drawn, colorful backdrop for an immersive coming-of-age story, and the Irish setting is effectively rendered. While teens will relate more to the chapters centering on Andy than those from his mother's perspective, her musings on the muddy waters the fake Andy is navigating speak to universal truths. Infused with magical realism, this page-turner will enthrall teens.
VERDICT A bewitching bildungsroman, perfect for fans of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus.—Erinn Black Salge, Morristown-Beard School, Morristown, NJ
Reviewed by Staff , Dec 01, 2017

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