Enchanted Night by Steven Millhauser

Enchanted Night by Steven Millhauser

Completion Date: July 15, 2011
Reason for Reading: Buddy Read with Carl from Stainless Steel Droppings.

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Martin Dressler comes a stunningly original new book set in a Connecticut town over one incredible summer night. The delicious cast of characters includes a band of teenage girls who break into homes and simply leave notes reading "We Are Your Daughters," a young woman who meets a phantom lover on the tree swing in her back yard, a beautiful mannequin who steps down from her department store window, and all the dolls "no longer believed in," left abandoned in the attic, who magically come to life.

With each new book, Steven Millhauser radically stretches not only the limits of fiction but also of his seemingly limitless abilities. Enchanted Night is a remarkable piece of fiction, a compact tale of loneliness and desire that is as hypnotic and rich as the language Millhauser uses to weave it.

Following our buddy read of the Charles de Lint collection, The Best of Charles de Lint, there was some discussion on what we should read next. We decided on Dune, which I have since given up on, and Carl really wanted to reread Enchanted Night. Normally I will not splurge and buy novellas because I read them too fast, but both Carl and Chris have written positive reviews of this book. I am happy that I splurged because this book had so much going on and is easily a book you can read again and again. Carl asked the questions about the book because this was a reread for him. You can read my answers below and visit his blog to read his answers to the same questions.

If anyone needed further prove of how much of a nerd I am, if you had asked me what my plans for this previous Friday night were, I would have said reading Enchanted Night, while Carl is also in his neck of the woods reading the same book at approximately the same time. I also would have commented on how cool I think this idea is. Other people would think I was crazy...

1. The story takes place over the course of one night with a cast of characters who are obviously night owls. Are you a night owl/can you relate? Have any moonlit night adventures of your own?

I am very much a night owl. I stay up way too late the majority of the time and most of my life takes places at night. I can definitely relate to the people in this book for that aspect. I remember when I was a young teen and was always trying to do the right thing and go to bed at a decent hour. I always felt guilty for staying up late, but it just seemed to come naturally. Since I stay up late regularly, most of my adventures take place at night. I am just not sure mine are quite like the ones addressed in the book.

2. How did the structure of the novella work for you, brief snippets of story intertwined and woven together into a whole?

If I read a collection of short stories I prefer this type of format. One of my biggest problems with short stories is that I am always left wishing for more. With books like this, you feel like you are getting more because everything is interconnected and story-lines are developed more. I didn't read the backs of books, so I wasn't even entirely sure that is what was happening until I got going with the book and then I was really happy about the idea.

3. Which characters stood out to you and why? Did you relate to or like any characters in particular? Are there any of the story lines that you didn't care for?
None of the story-lines really bothered me in the sense that I didn't want them included, but the idea of a 'peeping Tom' sort of bothers me. It's just creepy and something I am not too eager to experience.

Since your post is up all ready, I have been flipping back and forth between my typing and your answers. I have to agree with you about Haverstraw. I can relate to the idea that dreams and your life are passing you by. As I get older I notice a lot more how quickly time flies. It freaks me out that I won't accomplish everything that I am meant to accomplish because time is so limited.

I enjoyed the idea of the teenage daughters who broke into homes just to leave a message saying: "We Are Your Daughters". I believe there is a lot of deeper meaning behind this story arch. Most notably, though, I enjoyed the idea of the neglected dolls awakening. This is just a thought from my childhood when I really thought that when I left the room my toys came alive.

4. When you were a teenager would you have wanted to be one of the 'daughters' who was breaking into houses? As an adult would you want to have your house broken in to?

I am not sure. I think I would have to actually reread the book because my understanding was that these girls, for whatever reason, were feeling neglected and needed the attention of strangers. It meant more than that to me, though. It made me think about reputations and gossip and how things can get a bit out of hand so people need to be reminded that these young women could easily be their daughters. I might be reading too much into the story, but that was what it left me thinking about. Then, someone actually takes time to appreciate them. I enjoyed that because I know how hard it is to be a teenage girl.

I am not sure I could do it, but I can relate to idea. As Carl mentions in his answer, it is also about gender roles, too.

5. The woman who lives alone chooses a special name for herself. What would your special name be?

When I read this question I was thinking about the conversation I had with Carl on a previous post about whether or not Pluto is a planet or a planetoid. I was thinking that Pluto Worshiper would work well for him. Funny, he never thought of that himself. I guess he is not as loyal to Pluto as he thought... Sorry, couldn't resist... Moving on... I have never been one for nicknames. I know, that sounds strange because I go by Kailana on my blog, but that was never meant to be a nickname.

6. How would you classify this novella, genre-wise, and do you find yourself making any comparisons to other authors/stories?

My copy of the book states that it is Fiction/Literature. This is one of those books that I would never want to have to shelf. There is many different genres represented. I was thinking of Gabriel Garcia Marquez while reading this book. He also takes simple things and mixes in a lot genres. That being said, it has been ages since I read anything my Marquez, so it could be entirely different if I had read him recently.

7. How did you find the experience of reading this in one go on a moonlit summer night?
It was the perfect setting for reading the book because the book takes place on a summer night. I was happy that the weather was nice and you could actually see the moon while I was reading it. I think when I reread it I will have to make sure it is also a nice summer night.

8. What other thoughts do you have that you want to share about the book?

I loved the cover... It bothers me when covers are poor representations of the book. This cover actually shows that someone read the book before putting it together. It is such a nice cover that I am thinking of devising a way to have it so the cover faces out on my shelves. I guess I should have bought this book back when Chris' review appealed to me because I was so happy to read it! That being said, this was a fun way to experience it and I recommend it to all for some night-time, moonlit, summer reading.