Author(s): Elisa Shua Dusapin

General Fiction

Tonight is the opening night.

There are birds perched everywhere, on the power lines, the guy ropes, the strings of light that festoon the tent ... when I think of all those little bodies suspended between earth and sky, it makes me smile to remind myself that for some of them, their first flight begins with a fall.

Nathalie arrives at the circus in Vladivostok, Russia, fresh out of fashion school in Geneva. She is there to design the costumes for a trio of artists who are due to perform one of the most dangerous acts of all- the Russian Bar. As winter approaches, the season at Vladivostok is winding down, leaving the windy port city empty as the performers rush off to catch trains, boats, and buses home; all except the Russian bar trio and their manager. They are scheduled to perform at a festival in Ulan Ude, just before Christmas.

What ensues is an intimate and beguiling account of four people learning to work with and trust one another.

This is a book about the delicate balance that must be achieved when flirting with death in such spectacular fashion, set against the backdrop of a cloudy ocean and immersing the reader in Dusapin's trademark dreamlike prose.

MATILDA BOOKSHOP REVIEW

I find it difficult to resist any book set in a circus! There is something fascinating about the bright showiness of a big top performance juxtaposed with the secrecy of backstage life; intense glamour sitting beside what must be a steely, perhaps monotonous dedication to craft. Dusapin with her trademark delicate, evocative descriptions is the perfect author to bring this rarefied atmosphere to life. Our guide to the world of cirque is fellow outsider Nathalie, a costume designer hired to work with the three performers set to execute the deadly Russian Bar Routine at a festival in Ulan Ude.  There is a misty beauty to the writing in Vladivostok Circus, but also a tight thread of tension held throughout. Breathtaking. Emilie