Pantomime

A quick disclaimer: I’ve never been much of a YA reader. But with the growth of the genre, I’ve checked out a few things & have been pleasantly surprised. Pantomime, however, seems much closer to the core of the genre, & as such I’ve had some problems.

It’s very difficult to discuss any sort of plot points without dropping massive spoilers. The majority of the book centers on Micah, a teenager who has run off to join the circus. In the background we have vestigial technology from a former civilization, as well as hints at mythology which provide clues to Micah’s identity.

The prose in Pantomime is gorgeous. Evocative and fleeting, Lam proves herself as a wordsmith. Additionally she does an excellent job of characterization. While the cast of characters is relatively small, there is nice development of each of them, with each character having distinctive voice and motivation. Additionally, I really enjoyed her approach to world building. Rather than having long infodumps, Lam parcels out the history of the world piece by piece, slowly adding information and creating mysteries to be solved later.

My problem comes with the central conflict in the book. At its heart, Pantomime is about Micah’s journey of self-discovery. Micah is slowly building a personal identity that is independent of the one that had been received. It’s all very well written, and surely central to the core of YA. But as a reader, it’s just not a conflict that I find compelling. Since this is so central to the book, I wouldn’t recommend this to someone, like myself, who is not heavily into YA books.

Micah has a secret. He didn’t run away to join the circus but when he finds himself stood inside the big tent, he knows that’s what he wants to do. He has already left everything he knew behind and cannot go back. On the flip-side, Gene is the daughter of a noble family, destined to be paraded at debutante balls and married off to a deserving suitor. She would much rather be climbing trees with the boys than dancing but her mother is determined for her to be a nice normal girl.

The world encased within Pantomime is not far removed from the heyday of the circus in the real world. The glamour, glitz and seduction of the big tent is there; an attraction that would not fail to pull crowds at any city or town. The freak show, with a few exceptions, would not be out of place in any 19th century sideshow. The atmosphere of R.H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic is everything that I have been missing in other circus reads of late. Because I really do love a book set in the circus.

It is however a fantasy novel, set in Ellada. The world is reminiscent of steampunk without any overt characteristics. It has elements of both the past, with class structure and society of the past, and the future, where artefacts of a world lost litter the pages. The purpose of the Plenglass domes is unknown to the inhabitants and they are treated with a certain fear and respect. The Vestige is the name given to artefacts which move by magic, but the magic is in short supply. There’s a bit of me that wondered if the magic was electricity or if this was just an analogy. I do get the feeling that the fantasy element will play a bigger part in the sequel as this was all about Micah and Gene.

Pantomime is a difficult book to review without revealing the secret. It didn’t take me long to have my suspicions; the split timeline gives enough hints and the environment it is set in allows the brain to wander there. Fortunately, you don’t need to wait until the end and the majority of the story revolves around if it will be revealed to other characters and what their reactions may be. It’s something that will shock some readers but it’s not used gratuitously; it’s all about acceptance.

It’s a brave book and one that deserves to be read by a wide audience. I hope it will readjust some people’s prejudices; to make them stop and think that we are all human beings with feelings and some things we just can’t help. It’s a refreshing take on running away to join the circus…and other things that I really can’t tell you about.