When Portia's mom dies, it doesn't take long for her dad to decide she's too much for him, and he leaves her with an aunt. He promises, of course, that he'll return, but never does, and her aunt eventually abandons her too, sending her to live at the McGreavy Home for Wayward Girls. The place is grim and depressing, and Mister, the evil man who runs the home, makes it unbearable. After one particularly tragic event, Portia follows a traveling circus out of town, and lands a job as a cook. She gets to know the "freaks" from the carnival, including a giant, (whose friend the midget almost always rides on his shoulders), conjoined twins, and Violet, a young girl who is the only non-albino in her family. Portia is hoping, as they travel from town to town, to someday find her father. Her journey is peppered with the stories of the carnival and circus workers and performers, and each tale provides a fascinating glimpse into this weird and mysterious world of the past.
I find circuses really interesting, and especially love stories about the 1920's traveling shows. Barnaby reveals in the book that after around the mid-1930's, the traveling show changed immensely. People started to understand that the "freaks" they were paying to see were simply normal people with unusual medical conditions. They began to feel guilty about gawking at these unfortunate individuals, so the show became something different. What a very unique time in history this novel explores! This book wraps you up--you can almost feel the Dust Bowl wind blowing around you as you read. A remarkable read, especially for a first novel.
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