false 4748221 0980226023 9780980226027 41 16 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4748221.The_Pilo_Family_Circus 813982 Will Elliott 46 16 2 0 false Wed Oct 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 26 14:58:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 26 14:59:08 -0700 2009
“You have two days to pass your audition. You better pass it, feller. You’re joining the circus. Ain’t that the best news you ever got?”

Delivered by a trio of psychotic clowns, this ultimatum plunges Jamie into the horrific alternate universe that is the centuries-old Pilo Family Circus, a borderline world between Hell and Earth from which humankind’s greatest tragedies have been perpetrated.

It wasn’t expensive, but I noticed the “THR” for thriller had been crossed off on the sticker and replaced with “HORROR.” I don’t generally like horror, but since it is Halloween and since I do love clown stories, I decided to give it a try.

When I started reading it, I immediately noticed that “pure” horror didn’t work for me. The book is, for the most part, wonderfully written. There are a few places where the author tells rather than showing, but they don’t get too in the way. It was the graphic depictions of things that bothered me.

What intrigued me most about the book was the part that got glossed over. I was curious about how the Pilo Family Circus sustained itself and how many people it had consumed and where they all came from. Jamie’s story was interesting but it wasn’t the most compelling for me.

I’ve also picked up the habit of reading about an author. And I found out that Elliott started working on this book when he was nineteen (he is now twenty-nine), after having dropped out of law school and being diagnosed with schizophrenia. I spent a lot of time wondering how that influenced his work – I spent a good deal of my time in school studying schizophrenia, so I feel like it comes naturally. They say some of the greatest artists of our time, both literary and canvas, were schizophrenic.

If horror is where your heart lies, and you aren’t afraid of menacing clowns and disfigured monsters, this will definitely be your cup of tea. If you prefer lighter Halloween tales, try Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book or Jonathan L. Howard’s Johannes Cabal the Necromancer.

The Pilo Family Circus is Will Elliott’s debut novel, winning five Australian literary awards. It was also short-listed for the International Horror Guild Award for best novel.]]>