The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

A special thank you to Libro.fm and Penguin Random House Audio Publishing for an audiobook listening copy.

Beginning with our protagonist not opening a very special door, The Starless Sea is an expanse of stories from a realm that contains lost cities and seas, and stories whispered by the dead.

Zachary Ezra Rawlins, now grown and a graduate student, finds an authorless book in his Uni library which has detailed him seeing (and not opening) that door. Completely baffled, armed with clues—a bee, a key, and a sword—and at a loss of how anyone could have known of this experience from his childhood, Zachary sets off on a journey to discover his life's purpose and what was behind the door.

After an eight year hiatus, Morgenstern returns with her elegant prose. This beautifully lyrical masterpiece is a story made up of stories, fables, and fairytales. Erin makes connections to these stories by interspersing them throughout Zachary's journey of self-discovery where he finds his own place in the book's narrative.

Told through an omniscient narrator, The Starless Sea is a whopping 512 pages of dazzling imagery. When I attended an event with Erin, she spoke of how she likes her books to have a strong visual language. This comes as no surprise given the intricate detail in the book.

Unlike other readers that found fault with there being too many stories with the actual story, my criticism has to do with the characters themselves. Morgenstern's writing is so visually stunning, her descriptions are rich and vivid, truly a feast for the senses, but the characters are the opposite—they are flat in that they are not fully fleshed out. One of my favourite descriptions in the book was Allegra's collection of door handles that were suspended like a mobile. We also never find out the symbolism and meaning behind the main visuals throughout the story: the bee, the sword, and the key. Perhaps this was done on purpose to leave the reader to draw their own conclusions? Or maybe the book is one giant metaphor?

The pure magic and genius of this book will solidify Morgenstern as one of the most gifted and unique writers today.

BUY NOW

ERIN MORGENSTERN is the author of the number-on national bestseller The Night Circus that has been sold around the world and translated into thirty-seven languages. Erin also has a degree in theater from Smith College.

Morgenstern lives in Massachusetts with her husband.