*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley*

Overall this is a 3-3.5 Star read for me.
Trigger warnings: a lot of violence, grief, familial loss, trauma.

I was initially drawn in by the beautiful cover and the premise sounded really cool. But it fell short on several counts for me.

The plot outline is really intriguing - a man (the Stranger) paves his way through two worlds trying to find a cure for his dying son. It deals a lot with the trauma of the Stranger, but also those others who find themselves within the Escapement (the Western dreamworld of circuses and clowns). At times the plot meanders about too much for my liking, but when it’s quicker paced it’s really really good.

In terms of worldbuilding, there is an interesting mix of western, circus, mythological and fairy tale aesthetics. At times it’s definitely hard to get a grasp on the world itself and some aspects are not explained fully, but the world itself is really unique. The fantastical land of the escapement is undoubtedly a metaphor for the experience of trauma and the mental chaos it inflicts on a sufferer: “In his delirium he was no longer in that other place but in a land called the Escapement. He lived, not sure if he were a scholar dreaming he was a clochard, or a clochard dreaming that he was a scholar.”

Very few characters would be considered likeable but a lot of the characterisation invokes deep sympathy for the characters. In my opinion, having the focalising character be called the Stranger, and given little characterisation he himself (compared to secondary characters), he is distanced from the readers and this makes it harder to keep track of what’s going on plot-wise.

Readability was the biggest issue for me. There are a couple textual errors but nothing overwhelmingly glaring. The meandering pace made the first half of this book feel hellish to read at times and thus the confusion set in. You need a really clear head to keep track of it all. I feel it could have been half the length and been more convincing as a read. The parts that were good were really good, but the rest was sluggish and unfortunately that let me down a lot.

Weirdest world I have ever read. Very disjointed. Pace and action feels close to the Dark Tower, characters are more Carnivale. I would have loved a bit more intro into this world from the beginning, I had to google clowns.

Unlike anything I have read before... it starts like a western with clowns. It is utterly and completely written in the style but I couldn’t get into it. Maybe it just wasn’t my kind of weird. I don’t like westerns and clowns creep me out.

I have to say that this book is one of the strangest I have read in a long time and I really loved it. It's about a guy called The Stranger and his quest to find a flower that will save his sick son. The story flips back and forth between his time in the Escapement. and his time in the real world. The Escapement. is awesome. It has clowns and cowboys and scary stuff lurking about. On his journey, he meets several interesting people like the Conjurer, the Kid, and some seriously deranged carnies. I loved the Escapement world, it was so unique and disturbing at times. The flipping back and forth between worlds kind of confused me at times but the story, the crazy world, and the great characters make up for it. I would love to read more about this place and the clowns. There are so many cool possibilities that I hope the author writes more. This book is really something special.

In The Escapement, a father with a sick child becomes the Stranger in a parallel reality. The Escapement reminds him of that time he took his child to see the clowns. And just like in the real world, not everyone likes clowns….

Escaping reality
The Stranger tries to escape reality as the health of his terminally ill child deteriorates. The places he encounters on his journey resemble the phases he goes through while dealing with his son’s illness. The connections to The Waiting Place and The Hole are most obvious, but let’s not discount the journey, the catastrophes and the encounters with certain people. All that untapped time – a huge silence waiting under the ground – and the time loops are a great contrast to the time slipping by in the hospital room.

The worldbuilding is outstanding. Lavie Tidhar drew inspiration from fairy tales, the Epic of Gilgamesh and many other sources for the Flower of Heartbeat, locations and characters.

Narrative
The events of the Stranger’s journey are told in a very factual and rational way rather than an emotional one. I was expecting and hoping for more mystery and wonder in the early chapters. Instead, the setting is clearly explained, too clearly for my taste. The Stranger understands the inner workings of the world, with its mazes, shifting geographical patterns, and curved roads too easily.

Many other characters tell their stories, taking time away from the Stranger’s story. He does not seem focused on his goal of finding the flower that will heal his child, although he thinks about it from time to time.

I understand the parallels that are drawn, but I do not feel emotionally involved in the father’s story. I feel sadder for the slaughtered and enslaved clowns. The father seems distant, which is understandable because his journey – both in the hospital and the Escapement – has been long. I still don’t know if I find the blending of realities too subtle or not subtle enough.

Conclusion
The Escapement did not impress me. I enjoyed reading about the world and imaginary locations, but the story of the father/Stranger just didn’t work for me. I can’t feel the father’s struggle and his son remains faceless. This book doesn’t feel like the subtle blend of realities or the deep contemplation of running away from grief and reality that I expected before I started this book. I miss the mystery and excitement of not knowing something and figuring it out. I was hoping for something different and I’m still hoping for another story set in this interesting place called the Escapement. It ended up being a fascinating world with no compelling characters, more of a showcase than a story.

This has to be read to be appreciated. No review could do it justice. It caught my eye, as I am a fan of all things circus/carnival related. I got so much more than I had hoped for. Dark, sad, beautifully written and full of references (subtle and not so subtle) that will make you smile when you catch them. Elements of this story have been pulled from sources far and wide, but they come together uniquely to create a world worth escaping to...and from.