The Starless Sea: A Novel

The Starless Sea blew my mind from front to back cover.

This is no ordinary adult fantasy book, even by author Erin Morgenstern's standards it goes beyond all expectations. Having read her debut novel, The Night Circus, I was already expecting slow-paced, non-linear storytelling and plenty of storylines that would only make sense after the 70% mark, but this was a new experience.

When our main character, Zachary Ezra Rawlins, reads about his own life in a library book, he is thrown into a whole other world filled with the M word (we don't really call it magic), mystery, and stories. Morgenstern does more than tell us about these stories, deciding instead to include numerous stories within stories with intertwining fates and themes. The Starless Sea has no wand-waving or enchanting, but our fairly regular main character is thrown into an environment in which all characters (and even the environment itself) are drenched in fantasy and mystery. All in all, this is a story about the power of stories, symbols, and fate.

Morgenstern's writing style drips in poetry and symbolism, turning The Starless Sea more of an emotional experience than a discursive storyline. To truly appreciate Morgenstern, you have to approach her works as if they were poetry, a whimsical puzzle put together line by line. This is not a book to be read quickly in a weekend but savored over weeks, maybe months, with plenty of notetaking of magical quotes and short stories that almost sound like folklore.

In summary, with patience and an explorer's soul, The Starless Sea will transport you into a wonderfully complex world of stories and metaphors that will definitely beg for rereads and intense book club discussions. It's up to you, "Are you lost or are you exploring?".