Ladies and gentlemen, the following post is not for the faint of heart!

I am completely inspired to tell you all about my very favorite circus novel. Which is hard, because I love circus books. I don't know what it is about them - possibly the idea of the incredibly unknown life of a circus performer - but I can't help myself. If said book looks even remotely striped tent-y, I must have it! Must! Have! It! Why am I inspired to bring this to your attention at this particular moment, dear reader? Well, on Friday, my darling husband and I went to Kurios, the newest Cirque de Soleil show, for our birthdays (which are five days apart).

And so, I present to you Ladies and Gentlemen! The best book on earth! You won't be able to put it down! Step right up, step right up and I'll tell you all about Rain Village by Carolyn Turgeon!

I think this is one of the first really amazing novels centered around the circus that I read. And it is really amazing. Tessa Riley was a tiny baby. And as she grew, it was apparent she was going to be a smaller than average person. And in the early 1900s, born to abusive parents who own a working farm, being small is no excuse for skipping out on work. Yet Tessa can hardly do any of the chores due to her diminutive stature. In ignorance and viciousness, her Bible obsessed mother forces Tessa to hang from a rod set into the kitchen doorway - in hopes that it will force Tessa's body to stretch to a normal size.

Then, one day in her 12th year, Tessa heads into the small nearby town of Oakley, Kansas, and discovers that a new librarian has moved into town. Mary Finn is everything Tessa wants to be - educated, beautiful, normal-sized. Tessa begins to visit the library as much as her overbearing parents will allow, and slowly learns how to read and write from Mary. She also discovers the new librarian harbors a secret: she was once Marionetta, a trapeze flyer for the Velasquez Circus. Mary regales Tessa with stories of her days as a performer, and a mythical place called Rain Village. Tessa begs Mary to teach her the art of trapeze. And Mary finally caves. Just months after Mary arrives in Oakley, Tessa's father becomes sexually abusive, and Tessa knows she needs to get out.

What follows is an beautifully written discovery of ones worth and place in the world. As Tessa ventures into the world of the circus, her enormous personality wins over first the other performers, and then the audiences she entertains. This glorious book incorporates the mystical adventure of the circus with the realness of life.

After seeing Kurios, I've pulled out all of my favorite books about the circus. Rain Village is at the top of the stack, and this will be my third time reading it. If you're like me, dear reader, and absolutely dazzled by contortionists and strong men, trapeze artists and clowns, do yourself a favor and get a copy of Rain Village!