The Aerialist

I am a circus performer forty years and i can tell you this book is the real thing. It is a beatitful book to read and it tells a story I know in my heart to be true.

Richard Schmitt's moving and mythical tale tells the story of one man's journey to peace and understanding. The amazing thing is that Schmitt takes all of us along for the ride. We come to understand not only the hidden world of the circus, but more, our role in that larger circus we all live: Life. From its rollicking opening to its moving conclusion THE AERIALIST is vividly rendered, funny, heartbreaking in places, and always surprising. The unlikely keeps cropping up and is made inevitable as Schmitt captures perfectly the subtle development of young Gary Ruden and his coming of age through a wide variety of characters, places, and lyrical prose not often seen in a first-time novelist.

Some of us went to San Francisco, others went underground or to communes. Gary ran away and joined the circus and later brought us along for the ride. Here is a growing-up or coming of age story (if you prefer) that will take you places and show you events that are as familiar as the circus but as alien as another planet. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and savoured every chapter. I was taken to places and met people I would have never met otherwise. Don't miss reading this book.

THE AERIALIST begins ordinarily enough - with two hapless guys, one who dodges responsibility and the other dying of cancer, taking a joy ride in a car that's obviously a murder scene - but once this novel gets going, it takes an extraordinary leap. Gary joins a circus by whim and by accident, and later pulls his buddy Dave aboard. What they experience there (particularly what Gary, our narrator, does) becomes something both larger and more gritty than a circus show. Schmitt takes his readers through Gary's various jobs in the circus as well as describing a variety of others, giving me the impression, whether false or not, that Schmitt knows his material. From bull prodder to aerialist, Gary becomes the circus with all its quirks and desperate moments, its glitz and its manure, the odd comraderie behind the scenes as well as the machinations that make the audience ooh and aah. Gary and the supporting characters are well-drawn and compelling in their off-beat ways. This debut is a literary gem. Its originality, well-written prose, and the deftness with which the characters are drawn will assure Richard Schmitt of a solid following.

Superb writing that leads you from one twist to another turn in this fascinating story about discovery and finding a place to fit in. Great characterizations that let you see the individuals and feel their emotions as they move through the story. I've not been interested in the circus since I was 10 years old and saw the old Barnum and Bailey back in the 50's, but I sure want to go again now. Thanks for writing a wonderful story with such rich characters.