Review: The Circus of the Vanishing Elephant by Tim Schooley

 

Genre: Historical Fiction

Description:

This is a story about an American circus in the Eighties (or thereabouts). The author’s first jobs were working as a clown with Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey circuses. The publisher of this interesting work of fiction is HTF Publishing, an imprint of History Through Fiction, which “seeks to provide readers with engaging historical narratives that are rooted in detailed and accurate historical research”. Schooley absolutely knows whereof he writes. The novel feels truly authentic. The vanishing elephant is a clever McGuffin: when the reveal finally comes it is worth the wait.

Author:

We’ve seen what Schooley did when he left school, but (as the novel makes clear) you need a particular mind set to want the live the circus life year after year. So Mr Schooley went to university and became an appellate lawyer: ta da! How’s that for a career swerve? He has been writing throughout his working life, but now that he has retired from the law he is putting his back into it. He has already published legal thrillers. And an historical novel which won prizes (The Wool Translator in 2022) But this is Something Completely Different.

Appraisal:

Well, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like this. As a document of circus life during a particular period of the twentieth century, in America, it is delightful. As a story of how a peripatetic family copes with itself (or doesn’t) it is fascinating. As an early consideration of why animals finally disappeared from circuses it is wise. The strong bonds between the animals (elephants in particular) and their handlers are beautifully drawn for us by someone who understands them, but the downsides are shown to us too – the chains, the bull hooks, the tiny cages, and (from the other side of the ring) the occasional mauling.

An intriguing novel, well worth your time.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

Format/Typo Issues:

As this is an advance reviewer copy we can’t gauge the final product in this area.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: Judi Moore

Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words