Freshly issued in paperback, Susanna Clarke’s debut novel, JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL, has been dubbed in the press as “HARRY POTTER for adults.” That strikes me as an insult to the many adults who apparently enjoy J.K. Rowling’s mega-successful series, but it’s certain that the kids who lap that stuff up wouldn’t like this, steeped as it is in a highly literary, Old English style (complete with words like “shewed” and “chuse”) that recalls Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. It’s also laden with footnotes, many of which are dense and contain entire short stories to themselves.
And yet remarkably, it’s not at all a chore to read! Set in the early 19th century, the epic story takes place in England at a time when magic is no longer performed. But that’s before the hermit-like Mr. Norrell is discovered, who proves he’s a worthy magician by making church statues speak and bringing a dead girl back to life. He finds himself celebrated throughout the country, which immediately inflates his already ego-overflowing head, declaring himself the only practicing magician in the land.
Then along comes young Jonathan Strange, who has some tricks of his own up his sleeve, and Norrell begrudgingly accepts Strange as his pupil. The men assist the war effort against Napoleon by casting spells that create phantom ships and move towns around, which helps feed their celebrity stature. Then there’s the inevitable fallout as they part ways and their separate actions evoke and involve death, darkness and other things that don’t start with the letter d.
One thing is for sure: I never quite knew where JONATHAN STRANGE was going. It is original and unconventional, and doesn’t even bother with forming a real plot until about two-thirds in. This is not a criticism, as I found those first two-thirds pretty engrossing and surprisingly witty. About the only thing I didn’t like about the book is that it’s so damn heavy. Weighing in at 800 pages, it required being propped up on a pillow at all times. But this new trade edition is much easier on the arms.
I read JONATHAN STRANGE nearly one year ago, and more than any other book of 2004, I keep thinking about how much I enjoyed it, how I look forward to the decade when I’ll read it once again, how I wish more books could be as solid and how I hope Clarke doesn’t take another 10 years to pen her next. Given its size, you’re destined to get lost in it, and I very much savored that experience. It’s a masterpiece.
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