THE STARLESS SEA

The Starless Sea
by Erin Morgenstern
Anchor Books | August 4, 2020

    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 of 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.

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As someone who loved The Night Circus, I was very excited to read  The Starless Sea, but the mixed reviews discouraged me for the longest time. I bought the book on a whim, and it was sitting on my shelf for some time. To buy more books, I don't think I will buy any more non-textbooks for a while, I must finish the ones I've already bought. I just have The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle to finish, so look out for another Murakami review!

Writing, Plot, Characters

As always, Morgenstern's writing is beautiful, magical, and transportive: a true word-artist. She built such an intricate world that is developed through stories, which I thought was brilliant. It is challenging and ambitious, so I applaud her for it, but I became confused with the world towards the end of the novel. This confusion was due to the complexity of the world and because I was speed-reading. Sometimes the writing is too embellished and rich that you get dizzy and want to stop. Just tell me what's going on in the blandest, most unintelligent way, much like how I'm doing now. 

Some reviewers say there is no plot and the interspersed stories are distracting. I both agree and disagree. The plot definitely takes its time to start and develop, but it's there, sometimes. The stories definitely end the suspense of some chapters and your reading groove, but the way the stories become part of the plot is wondrous. The Night Circus also doesn't have much of a plot/strong storyline; I just liked it for its atmosphere and writing. Morgenstern's books are great for people who just want to appreciate good writing, where the plot is in the backseat. 

There is a cute, eccentric cast of characters. There aren't many exciting character interactions. Everyone is vague and only present to serve a purpose. They are more tools for the story than actual characters that you sympathize with and cheer for. There is a romance, which I thought was completely unnecessary and unwarranted. It took me by surprise when they started to confess their love and attraction for one another.

Overall, I think the writing is great, and the storytelling is unconventional. There are great elements to this novel, but it was a struggle for me to finish it. It's dense and intricate. You'd probably have to read it twice to see a different side and fully understand it, but I don't want to do that again. I'm just going to wait for someone to summarize the plot like they do for movies' Wikipedia pages and analyze it for me. 

Have you read The Starless Sea? What were your thoughts?