Brought together by Magic. Torn apart by war.

 

*Contains minor spoilers*

I want to start this off by saying this book is not your normal World War II historical fiction. I mean, you can see the main character's face on the cover! (haha) Jokes aside, most World War II historical fiction books rely so much on the violence and horrific things happening that the rest of the story gets lost. In The Circus Train, the characters and their relationships fuel the story. The war is truly in the background for the majority of the book, which is divided into 3 parts (the only part that contains in-depth scenes and depictions of what was going on outside of the train is Part 2).

We begin in 1929 with the birth of our main character, Lena. Her mother, Gia, goes into labor prematurely and dies shortly after Lena is born. Because she was born so early, she is very weak and sick, which makes matters worse when she contracts polio. This leaves her unable to walk. From here we flash forward to 1938, aboard The World of Wonders circus train. Lena's father, Theo, is the Master of Illusion and one of the most respected and loved members of the circus. You would think this meant that Lena would be loved by everyone too, but because she was bound to her wheelchair, many of the children on board were cruel and left her out or spoke badly to her. So she took solace in her studies, thanks to her governess, Clara, and Dr. Wilson, who was the train's doctor, and let her observe him while he worked and study his notes and books. Lena could often be found in the library with her nose stuck in a book, hoping to one day become a doctor herself. 

Everything changed one day when Lena went for a snack and found a young boy, a few years older than her, unresponsive and freezing in the kitchen car. Alexandre, the blonde and blue eyed boy, came with many surprises. The first one being that he was a Jew. The second, that he had a natural talent for illusion and reading people. Theo quickly embraced this talent and begged the circus owner to allow Alexandre to be brought on as his apprentice. 

Lena and Alexandre became fast friends. He was the only friend she had ever had. The only one to see past her wheelchair and to who she really was. It is a beautiful friendship that develops over the next several years as they ride from country to country. 

Unfortunately, this is a World War II story, and as I'm sure you can guess, something happens to young Alexandre. I'm not going to tell you what, but I will tell you that this book will keep you on your toes and turning the page to see what happens next.

I really enjoyed this one and I highly recommend it!  

The Circus Train by Amita Parikh - **** 4 Stars