Published By: Michael Joseph
Pages: 400
Released On: 24/04/2025
Paris, 1900
Celebrated carousel-maker Gilbert works night and day to finish his masterpiece in time for the city’s Exposition Universelle. But Gilbert is struggling in the wake of his wife and son’s tragic deaths, and as he finalises his creation, a dangerous idea forms in his mind . . .
Chicago, 1920
Maisie Marlowe has come to America in the search of a new life. When she unearths a beautiful, neglected old carousel, she seizes the opportunity to carve a thrilling new destiny for herself. But Maisie doesn’t know that beneath its glittering façade, the carousel is hiding a dark secret. Twenty years ago, it was linked to a number of people inexplicably vanishing into thin air – and now history has begun to repeat itself . . .
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I have been looking forward to this book since it was first announced and I am so happy to have received an early copy.
It does skip from time period to time period, and it includes a lot of characters, and at first I was a little concerned because my ability to remember names is quite poor. But very quickly, it stopped being a problem.
Fiza has depicted this innocence that only children have. The first time seeing a carousel or a funfair. But on the flip side, we see how a child copes with grief and you see the innocence start to slip away and merge into the general worry that adulthood brings.
I have never been one for a fairground or funfair or rides, but I did love a carousel, and still do. Not to go on, as such, but just to admire. They’ve always been an example of childhood fun and magic. I never saw them as something to be fearful of, but having read this, I can really feel the eeriness within them.
I love books about women trying to forge their own path during a time they are meant to be seen and not heard, and Maisie is exactly this. It’s not always a choice, mostly out of necessity, but she’s a very interesting and very real protagonist. Our second main protagonist is Laurent, the detective, who is the constant presence, the link between the time periods, and I think that’s what makes the jump from year to year more palatable, because there’s a constant.
There are a range of characters, English, French, American; young, middled, old; goodies, baddies and inbetweeners. It’s a great spectrum of humanity and she’s captured them so well.
It is so rich and luxurious and umptious (not sure if that’s a real word but I’m going with it). It’s got so many layers, so much depth to the plot and the characters. The attention to detail produces such a fabulous sense of atmosphere, sometimes an uncomfortable atmosphere, but it is spectacular what she’s managed to create.
It’s a mixture of historical, thriller, fantasy, murder mystery, and gothic, with a hint of romance. I read another review that said it’s less of a “whodunnit” and more of a “howdunnit” and I completely agree, that’s the best way to describe it.
It is a very promising debut. It’s just a beautiful book to read, very warming, and I don’t think Fiza’s going to have much trouble in forging a successful writing career. I could easily see this made into a movie.
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