30 Books in 30 Beach Days Day 3: "The Luminaries"
Today’s review is not a typical beach read—clocking in at 848 pages, it’s a novel to spread across a few beach days or devote a plane ride (or two or three) to. But it is worth every page-turning minute you spend. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton may be my favorite book that I’ve read in the past few years. It’s at once action-packed yet ruminating, thrilling yet playful. It’s well-deserving of its Man Booker Prize.
Though the novel was penned in 2013, it’s filled with the trappings of a Victorian-era thriller. Catton begins each chapter with an old-timey summary, which further sets the mood; for example, the book begins with a sub-header to Chapter One, “In which a stranger arrives in Hokitika; a secret council is disturbed; Walter Moody conceals his most recent memory; and Thomas Balfour begins to tell a story.” They’re exciting, on-brand clues that keep the reader churning through the high page count, but they also serve as helpful signposts should she need to turn back and recall earlier happenings in this plot- and character-rich novel.
The Luminaries opens on a cold and rainy night in Hokitika, New Zealand, where young Brit Walter Moody has just docked to pursue his fortune as a gold-digger. He arrives worn and weary from his sea journey, complete with a secret memory that chills him to his very bones.
He arrives at his hotel and journeys to its smoking room, where he stumbles upon a council of 12 men discussing recent bizarre events, including an apparent murder and the attempted suicide of an opium-addicted prostitute. Moody is a fortunate addition to the group; his ship was captained by Francis Carver, the story’s preeminent villain, around whom these unsavory oddities orbit.
That opening chapter sets a rollicking pace for a novel that twists and turns through clues and discoveries until its final pages. Aside from its well-crafted, well-connected plot, the novel’s structure is particularly interesting; each of the 12 men from the smoking room council represents one of the 12 signs of the zodiac. Subsequent chapters (e.g., “Mercury in Sagittarius”) indicate which of these men is the key player. Every character has his or her place and personality traits, which all work in tandem around a central orb (whom I will leave unnamed).
For a book so well-researched and well-crafted, it’s also incredibly fun and shockingly quick. There’s something for every sign of the zodiac here—mystery, murder, romance, philosophy. Don’t miss it.
Rating: 5/5
