In the Night Garden: In The Night G (The Orphan's Tales, #2)

by Catherynne Valente

A Book of Wonders for Grown-Up Readers

Every once in a great while a book comes along that reminds us of the magic spell that stories can cast over us–to dazzle, entertain, and enlighten. Welcome to the Arabian Nights for our time–a lush and fantastical epic guaranteed to spirit you away from the very first page . . .

Secreted away in a garden, a lonely girl spins stories to warm a curious prince: peculiar feats and unspeakable fates that loop through each other and back again to meet in the tapestry of her voice. Inked on her eyelids, each twisting, tattooed tale is a piece in the puzzle of the girl’s own hidden history. And what tales she tells! Tales of shape-shifting witches and wild horsewomen, heron kings and beast princesses, snake gods, dog monks, and living stars–each story more strange and fantastic than the one that came before. From ill-tempered “mermaid” to fastidious Beast, nothing is ever quite what it seems in these ever-shifting tales–even, and especially, their teller. Adorned with illustrations by the legendary Michael Kaluta, Valente’s enchanting lyrical fantasy offers a breathtaking reinvention of the untold myths and dark fairy tales that shape our dreams. And just when you think you’ve come to the end, you realize the adventure has only begun….

Praise for In the Night Garden

“Cathrynne Valente weaves layer upon layer of marvels in her debut novel. In the Night Garden is a treat for all who love puzzle stories and the mystical language of talespinners.”—Carol Berg, author of Daughter of Ancients

“Fabulous talespinning in the tradition of story cycles such as The Arabian Nights. Lyrical, wildly imaginative and slyly humorous, Valente's prose possesses an irrepressible spirit.”—K. J. Bishop, author of The Etched City

“Astonishing work! Valente’s endless invention and mythic range are breathtaking. It’s as if she’s gone night-wandering, and plucked a hundred distant cultures out of the air to deliver their stories to us.”—Ellen Kushner, author of Thomas the Rhymer

“Refreshingly original in both style and form, In the Night Garden should delight lovers of myth and folklore.”—Juliet Marillier, author of the Sevenwaters trilogy

• ISBN10: 0553384031
• ISBN13: 9780553384031
• Publish Date: 31 October 2006
• Publish Status: Transferred
• Out of Print: 30 January 2024
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group Inc
• Imprint: Spectra
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 496
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780553384031

Reviews

[nannah]

Hmmm. This is a tough book to review, or even to form an opinion on. On one hand it's the most creative work I've ever (Ever) read, but on the other ... did I enjoy it? Or just its craft?

Book content warnings
incest
detailed descriptions of gore, violence, and body horror
transphobia

This is one of those stories that's a story within a story within a story within a story (etc., etc., etc.,). Layers upon layers of stuff. It's enjoyable, but the downside is if you put the book down for a while and leave it for a bit later, good luck trying to remember who's speaking or telling the tale! I wish the chapter headings also told who was telling the story as well as whose story it was. :S That would've made things a lot easier for me. Then again, I might just be a bit scatter-brained, who knows.

In any case, In the Night Garden put simply is about two children in a VERY loose retelling of the Arabian Nights. The young son of a Sultan meets a mysterious "demon girl" (named for a birthmark around her eyes, making her look almost raccoon-like) in the gardens. Her birthmark is actually extremely tiny words written around her eyes: seemingly unending stories. She tells him these stories night after night, getting him in trouble.

Their story takes up very little page time, actually. The meat of the book is the stories this girl tells, which are intricate and Very Unusual--and mostly? Extremely creative. I've never encountered a more creative author. These stories (basically two novellas made up of short stories) are unlike anything else I've ever read. They wind around each other and are full of unusual creatures, strange plots, and plot twists that I'd never see coming in 1000 years.

But are they enjoyable? Uhhhh ... sometimes. I did enjoy the first novella (overall story) for the most part. The second ... maybe wasn't to my taste. But I don't think I'd ever pick this book back up again, unless it was to study the way Catherynne M. Valente writes.Because even though I might not enjoy everything written, I have to admit that she is a master storyteller and that her style is amazing.. I mean, sometimes things felt a little "thesaurus-y", but the way sentences were played with was so masterful.

But as to content ... I could do without the incest. And the transphobia (aka "the hermaphrodite showed her true nature by revealing her breasts and wearing make up etc.). It completely removed me from her writing and made me less interested in the stories. Same with the fact that her creativity is SO extensive ... and yet with all these creatures and cultures, there are Still two genders and everyone is heterosexual? What is this??

Anyway, her writing and storytelling are so wonderful, but the actual stories left me lukewarm. I just don't know how to feel about them.