The Book of Speculation: A Novel by Erika Swyler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Every so often I get a yen to dive into the literary side of fiction, and this book satisfied that need. This one has a bit of a fantasy element, though it’s nothing overt–it could simply be illusion, or really good breath control…It’s got old books, a nicely-unfolding mystery, the threat of the ocean come to wash away everything, and interesting characters.
Our MC is a librarian about to lose his job, when he is sent a mysterious book that first seems unrelated to him–but turns out to be so much more. THE BOOK OF SPECULATION is a diary of a circus, telling the reader of the circus’ performers, specifically its mute wild boy/fortune teller and his love. The actions detailed within resonate in the present, in eerily similar ways. I was reminded of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS with its similar theme and volatile romance.
There’s enough mystery here to keep me reading, and the interactions between the characters are believable even though there are some fantastic elements: the MC’s family is renowned for their ability to hold their breath for astoundingly long times–I’ll have to look up how true that is–and the wild boy seems to fade away from spectators’ notice, while a curse seems to follow the circus. There’s enough research on the historical times of the circus that I was able to visualize it well, and the scenes where flooding is imminent are pretty thrilling. Plot elements and characters are nicely interwoven and turn out to be connected in ways that don’t seem to be contrived. Not a book to be read if you’re afraid of the water, though.
Received as a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.