A Trip to the Stars

Magic realism that's truly magic. Nicholas Christopher's stunning novel has none of the overweening cuteness that is often found in this genre. Instead, you'll encounter in "A Trip to the Stars" a lush, shimmering novel--its prose hypnotic, its characters and settings unforgettable--that you won't want to come to an end. It's the story of Alma and Loren, separated by a kidnapping at a planetarium in New York, who become Enzo and Mala and spend 15 years wondering what happened to each other--she needs an island, he thrives in deserts--all the while having adventures and meeting interesting people (among them an eight-fingered piano-playing arachnophile, a woman who turns into a vampire, and a wheelchair-bound pool hustler). And the tale is instructional too: you'll learn something about the habits of spiders, go behind the scenes at a mentalists' act, and you'll also be presented with two differing theories on the fate of Atlantis.The tale is told in first-person narratives by Enzo and Mala, in alternating chapters (plus an epistolary interlude that evokes Conrad). The two are writing at some unspecified time in the future of events that take place between 1965 and 1980. A few of the characters turn up in both Enzo's and Mala's narratives, which helps unify the tale.It's a long trip, but it's one that charms as it thrills, and you'll not quickly forget it. And of course if you find that you are forgetting parts, you can always read it again. So the advice here would be: do _not_ loan this book to anyone who isn't likely to return it.Notes and asides: the sun _does_ shine on the dark side of the moon (it's the earth that doesn't); Alfred Hitchcock's wife was named Alma Reville; there was never a planetarium at Manhattan's northern end. Best read outdoors as spring turns into summer, with Heather Nova's "Oyster" on your portable CD player.

In Nicholas Christopher's latest novel, we have storytelling at its best. Layers of plots and sub-plots weave this magical story together, and take the reader on an incredible journey.NH's writing style is gifted and the themes in A Trip to The Stars are also compelling. This book is written in the most accessible style of magical realism I have ever encountered. Many of the stories of the different characters mirror those of the person missing from their life. This technique doesn't seem forced, and only reinforces the strong feeling that fate controls your destiny, and that even if a twist of fate seemingly alters your course, you really will end up with the right people and doing that which is predestined for you.The characters populating this novel are intriguing and believable (although to believe most of them live under one roof maybe pushes the envelope). These are the sort of people you wish you could dine with every night, just to listen to their stories, and hope a fraction of their incredible intelligence will stay with you. As each resident has 'lost' a piece of their life, they are all inextricably linked to one another, and possess pivotal answers for questions which are never asked of them.This is by the far one of the best five books I've read in the past year (Several Deceptions by Jane Stevenson is another). This is strong and thoughtful writing, and I eagerly await reading his other novels.

Dazzling! I loved his earlier novels, but this one is SPECTACULAR! If you enjoy magic realism, this is your Summer 2000 beach book. This book is as rare as a unicorn horn -- poetic, yet a page-turner; erudite, yet enthralling. It ranks right up there with John Crowley's "Little, Big," as a classic American fantasy novel.

A meditation on fate, destiny and love, complete with spiders, vampires, jazz, ancient artifacts and possibly an extraterrestrial dog. What's it all mean? You got me. But that doesn't matter. A Trip to the Stars is weird, wonderful and absolutely original.