Alone and Unobserved

Here’s a review I’ve written of Susanna Clarke’s extraordinary 19th-century fantasy, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

There are some books that become overnight bestsellers, but that have no business being so widely read. Most books by John Grisham, Anne Rice or Stephen King fall into this category, and anything at all by Danielle Steel. On the other hand, there are far too many really wonderful books that go unnoticed for one reason or another (ineffective marketing, narrow appeal, bad timing, etc.) . Susanna Clarke has been fortunate in that her book escapes both afflictions: it is a bestseller, but genuinely worth reading; it is critically acclaimed, but deserving of every word of praise.

As the story opens, it is the year 1806, in England, hundreds of years into the decline of magic in the world. The last practicing magician died a charlatan two centuries before, and none has risen to take his place. Enter Mr Norrell, a reclusive, unsympathetic man who has taught himself magic out of books, and plans on making himself useful to his country. Opposite Mr Norrell in personality, philosophy and manner is his sometime pupil, the magician Jonathan Strange. The book narrates their disparate efforts to aid the return of magic to England in a completely authentic style, complete with lengthy interpolations and accompanying footnotes on English magical history.

What is so amazing about this book (and why I recommend it so highly) is the entirely natural and beautiful way Clarke weaves magic and magical history into her narrative. Instead of writing about an “alternate” England, she makes us believe that this is England–that we just missed a few historical details when we studied history in school, and that if we just take a moment it will all come back to us–the legends of the Raven King, Thomas Godbless, the use of magic during the Napoleonic Wars, etc. Her style is unique and addictive.

The last reason you should read this book is because I love it, and that means it has to be fantastic!