ANDOVER — How could I not have read this when it first appeared in 2016 (possibly because I’d marched and flown through too much fantasy and magic in my tenure in a middle/high school library)? Now, I keep referring to it as The Night Kitchen, a far more familiar title from my children’s bedtime reading, but just as that was magic, so is the content of this month’s book, The Night Circus. 

Erin Morgenstern, a fitting name if ever there was one, gives us a circus like you’ve never seen. It’s open only from midnight to dawn and cloaked in black and white, from tents and fittings to animals and performers. The striped circus tents appear one morning and just as enigmatically disappear when it’s time for the next venue, with no apparent effort or sensible explanation.

Common sense flies out the window, while all the other senses engage, under the willing suspension of disbelief. It’s a game, part of the ongoing challenges set by Mr. A.  H______ and Hector Bowen, in which the winner takes all, a fight unto death you might say. Sounds terrifying, no? But that’s the whole story, see. 

Hector’s daughter, Celia, is well-matched against Marco, who’s been tutored from a distance. Each has their strengths, Celia’s being illusion and misdirection (how does one make true magic look like trickery?) and Marco’s involving the intricacies of bringing dreams and plans to fruition. 

Assisted by Mr. Chandresh’s midnight dinner crew, which includes a retired ballerina turned costumer and a practical engineer and . . .  oh, the cast goes on. The twins Poppet and Widget are born during one run, and the master clockmaker forms a lovely friendship with Celia and so on. 

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, this is really a grand love story, as Celia and Marco are destined for each other, despite the inherent outcome of the game. Totally human Bailey, who met Celia when he was young, is leaning toward Poppet, and it’s a good bet that under his willing guidance the circus will continue to delight townsfolk around the world. 

I did have to stop trying to imagine each magical scene, since some are dazzling beyond belief. Hmm, I think that just might be the point — that willing suspension of disbelief. I loved it!