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It's hard to know what to expect of a book that has been compared to both Jane Austen and Harry Potter. Yet Susanna Clarke's first novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, pulls it off beautifully, and the result is a fine historical fantasy that is a pleasure to get lost in. Set in a very real 19th-century England, complete with footnotes and the archaic spellings characteristic of the period, the 800-page novel imagines an alternate history where magic actually worked, and where magician was as practical a profession as doctor, baron, or poet. At the center of the story are Gilbert Norrell, a rich, reclusive magician, and his wildly curious pupil, Jonathan Strange. As the story unfolds, teacher and student become rivals, each struggling to revive and dominate English magic in his own way. Ultimately both face a mutual enemy in the Raven King, the father of English magic himself, in an engaging clash of intellect and power.  
For me, what makes the book so unique – and perhaps what saves it from being a “Harry Potter for adults” – is that Strange and Norrell's characters are scattered all over the scale of right and wrong, so that none can be considered inherently good or evil. Clarke does not make movie stars of her characters. The spotlight revolves around several equally intriguing persons, and she knows to reveal just as much about each one to keep you on your toes. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is a book you either love or hate – it requires patience, but that patience is well rewarded. At 800 pages, it is a heavy read, and you will have to wade through entire chapters of build-up before any action happens. But it is also 800 pages of well-imagined, excellently written fiction. It's just as well that the book is so long, because it's something you will want to sink into and enjoy for many long nights. Certainly it does not rival Tolkien, as some reviews would have you believe, but it comes very close. |
