[Book Review]- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

After hearing and reading a bunch of glowing reviews about The Night Circus, I was ready to be swept away by the wave of hype. The book was original, riveting, whimsical, and at times even enchanting. However, for whatever reasons, It wasn't quite love at first read for me.

THE CIRCUS ARRIVES WITHOUT WARNING. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white-striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is open only at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Amidst the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone from the performers to the patrons hanging in the balance. 

[Book Review] Bloodletting & Other Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam

With the Giller Prize ceremony happening this week, I decided to finally dive in to reading past Giller winner, Bloodletting & Other Miraculous Cures. In all honesty, this book has been in my to-read pile for a while but I kept pushing it aside. The main reason being, I imagined it might be “too medical” for my liking. Logical reasoning on my part because after all, author Vincent Lam is an actual emergency physician by day and this novel was his literary debut. However, not long in to reading the first few chapters, I discovered that this novel was actually all about relationships. It even inspired an HBO mini-series.

Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures is a collection of stories woven intricately between the relationships and experiences of a group of young doctors as they navigate through the trials and tribulations of med school to the fast-paced world of emergency room, evac missions, and terrifying new viruses.   

This novel brilliantly proves false the opinion that “Doctors are sadists who like to play God and watch lesser people scream”  The young doctors, Sri, Ming, Fitz and Chen are genuine people who each carry their own collection of emotional baggage. They each struggle with loneliness, regret, and vulnerability while being confronted daily with moral dilemmas, all for the honor of working in medicine.  Developing and maintaining personal relationships in such a chaotic existence naturally proves difficult. The characters must walk the fine line of being in charge of formulating swift life or death medical prognoses and treatment. Any hesitation or mistake can prove deadly.   

I recommend reading Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures to anyone who holds any form of disdain towards doctors of any kind. This novel will provide you with an accurate depiction  of what medical professionals must deal with in today's world.       

Kamaljit

[Book Review] The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow by Rita Leganski

The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow is about a young boy, born without a voice box, yet in it’s place he has a remarkable gift of hearing; one that encompasses every single sound in the universe. On top of that, he can communicate telepathically with his late father. The reason he was born with such a gift is seemingly to help fix all that is broken in the lives of his grieving mother; Dancy, his guilt-ridden grandmother; Letice and the restless spirit of his father; William. With the help of his father’s gentle guidance and a Creole housekeeper endowed with her own special gifts; Trinidad Prefontaine, Bonaventure works to heal the souls of his family members by unraveling long-buried secrets.

This is one of the most richly descriptive novels I’ve read in a long time. At one point, I found myself wanting to bust out a pack of crayons and start colouring, so I too could experience the sound of each colour like Bonaventure! This book would be perfect for fans of magical realism in literature because it reads like a fairy tale. It’s an enjoyable read that’s not too long (400 pages) and has a sentimental happy ending. Take it along as your vacation read or on your every-day commute to become teleported within its magical pages. I highly recommend reading The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow, if you want to take a break from your daily grind.

Kamaljit

[Book Review] Sutton by J.R. Moehringer

Admittedly, before picking up this book I’d never heard of Willie “The Actor” Sutton or his illustrious career as a bank robber/prison escape artist. In fact, when I first saw this book in store and judged its cover, (lesson learned) I presumed it was a fictitious mystery novel based in London, England during the 1920’s. I was quite mistaken.

J.R. Moehringer does a fantastic job of recanting Sutton’s real, fact-based life story with his own distinct twist on events. He manages to provide the answer to the mystery of why an intelligent and charismatic hard worker such as Willie Sutton chose to transform himself in to a master thief who was just as skilled at robbing banks, as he was deft at breaking out of prisons. The only plausible answer could be love. First love.

This book had me loyally rooting for Willie “The Actor” who never fired a shot, yet cringing internally for the destruction left behind in the lives of those he loved. Despite the conflicted feelings, the ending of the book left me only with the feeling of remorse that it was over.

Kamaljit