Review: 'Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell' by Susanna Clarke

 The book I perhaps lusted after the most last year was Susanna Clarke's Piranesi. It sounded like it would hit all the spots for me and yet I didn't get around to reading it yet. In the post-New Year's Eve lull I decided to refocus on Susanna Clarke and start with her first novel, the runaway success that was (and is) Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Considering I am an absolute nut for magic, I should have devoured this book already, but, characteristically, I never got around to it. I made up for that this month, however, via the brilliant audiobook, narrated by Simon Prebble. God, what an experience!

Original Pub. Date: 1/8/2006
Publisher: Tor Books

Sophisticated, witty, and ingeniously convincing, Susanna Clarke's magisterial novel weaves magic into a flawlessly detailed vision of historical England. She has created a world so thoroughly enchanting that eight hundred pages leave readers longing for more.

English magicians were once the wonder of the known world, with fairy servants at their beck and call; they could command winds, mountains, and woods. But by the early 1800s they have long since lost the ability to perform magic. They can only write long, dull papers about it, while fairy servants are nothing but a fading memory.

But at Hurtfew Abbey in Yorkshire, the rich, reclusive Mr Norrell has assembled a wonderful library of lost and forgotten books from England's magical past and regained some of the powers of England's magicians. He goes to London and raises a beautiful young woman from the dead. Soon he is lending his help to the government in the war against Napoleon Bonaparte, creating ghostly fleets of rain-ships to confuse and alarm the French.

All goes well until a rival magician appears. Jonathan Strange is handsome, charming, and talkative-the very opposite of Mr Norrell. Strange thinks nothing of enduring the rigors of campaigning with Wellington's army and doing magic on battlefields. Astonished to find another practicing magician, Mr Norrell accepts Strange as a pupil. But it soon becomes clear that their ideas of what English magic ought to be are very different. For Mr Norrell, their power is something to be cautiously controlled, while Jonathan Strange will always be attracted to the wildest, most perilous forms of magic. He becomes fascinated by the ancient, shadowy figure of the Raven King, a child taken by fairies who became king of both England and Faerie, and the most legendary magician of all. Eventually Strange's heedless pursuit of long-forgotten magic threatens to destroy not only his partnership with Norrell, but everything that he holds dear.

With just over a 1000 pages, Johnathan Strange & Mr Norrell (JS&MR) is a brick of a book. The audiobook itself clocks in at over 30 hours, which means I knew straightaway I was in for something grand. No one writes that much without having done some extensive thinking, plotting and planning. In JS&MR, Clarke creates an epic world and history of magic in England, full of background lore and asides. The main way this takes shape is through footnotes. Footnotes in fiction are a contentious topic. I myself adore them and my academic writing is full of footnotes as well. They're the perfect place for little asides, extra information, and evidence of your knowledge. In fiction, this usually takes the shape of explaining references to further lore. Clarke fills her footnotes with explanations of characters, descriptions of tales mentioned, or references to prior events. If a reader is not in the practice of switching between the main text and footnotes fluently, this will hamper the reading experience, but it is something one can practice and work towards. In the case of JS&MR, I felt that the footnotes added a whole layer of (philological) depth, similar to works like Tolkien's Legendarium. Clarke's England feels like a fully fleshed-out world which is just similar enough to ours to make you wonder why magicians indeed weren't a part of England's war effort against Bonaparte. I'd love to give more examples of how Clarke interweaves her story with history, but that would mean entering mild spoiler territory. Let it wash over you, don't ignore the footnotes, and enter into Clarke's world ready to be astounded.

In JS&MR magic is a commonplace part of England's history. Magic and magicians existed and no one doubts that. But note the past tense. England is no longer as magical. Magicians no longer walk amongst us, except the "academic" magicians who study books but would never attempt a spell themselves. From this state of affairs emerges Mr. Norrell, a fussy older gentleman who would quite happily attempt any spell. With a vast library and a solid conviction of his own worth, he enters the scene and astounds everyone. Supported by his loyal servant Childermass, he travels to London to begin his mission of returning magic to England. He has a strong dislike, however, to the Faerie aspect of English magic and this quickly gets him into some hot water. The appearance of another magician, the young and charismatic Jonathan Strange, is initially a welcome surprise. The differences between the two become quickly apparent and with their respective efforts in the war they only become starker. Their friendship and rivalry is at the heart of this book, but it also provides the starting point for almost all of the other storylines. There is a whole array of side-characters, each of which is a true addition to the story. Rather than distract, they bring new life to the central storyline and I found myself becoming genuinely fond of them. I would love to discuss them in more detail but I heartily recommend going into this novel as un-spoiled and blind as possible. (Small shout out to a favourite, Childermass!) If all you know is 'magic', 'England' and 'footnotes' you're perfectly prepared for this immensely pleasurable novel.

What is there to say about Susanna Clarke that hasn't already been said? JS&MR is a fascinating and mind-blowing work of fiction that will utterly capture you. Sinking into Clarke's magical England is like sliding into a warm bath. It feels comfortable and soothing but is also an immense treat. JS&MR is the kind of book I couldn't wait to get back to, hurrying up other tasks to continue listening and often rewinding passages to make sure I squeezed all the enjoyment and detail out of it that I could. For some the pace of JS&MR might feel a bit slow. Clarke takes her time establishing her main two characters and her world, both in the main text and in her footnotes. In the second half of the book the pace does pick up, but JS&MR is a marathon, not a sprint. If you race from page to page you will miss the beauty of it. Treat this book like a country walk. Let it take as long as it needs to, but stop at every flower. Immense credit is also due to Simon Prebble, who narrated the audiobook superbly. Each character was distinctly defined, to the point that I would recognize them before their name was mentioned. He switches easily between the main text and footnotes in such a way that the latter felt defined but not like an imposition. Although reading continues to be my lifelong passion, it is audiobooks like these that take me back to my memories of being read to as a child and therefore take me back to the feelings that began that passion. 

I give this book...

5 Universes!

Johnathan Strange & Mr Norrell deserves all the praise it gets. It is a brilliant, engrossing book of magic, friendship, rivalry and beauty. In a way Clarke sets the bar so high that it's good I waited this long to read it. Any fan of magic and Fantasy who, like me, dawdled on reading this book should treat themselves and get to it. This book will be a lifelong favourite.