A magical cabaret troupe on a ship vanishes into the night

Here in Avalon — Tara Isabella Burton

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Here in Avalon by Tara Isabella Burton

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Content warnings included in the footnote of this newsletter.¹

What It’s About

Rose has always felt responsible for Cecilia. Even though Rose is the younger sister, Cecilia has always needed help — whether it’s monetary help moving into a new place, running away from an ex, or saving her from a whirlwind idea Cecelia has at the last minute with no plan.

When Cecelia contacts Rose and tells her she’s coming home to New York for good, to stay, Rose is hopeful something may have changed. Maybe she’ll finally be able to hold down a job and find happiness — real happiness, not the fairy-tale life she’s been chasing. But soon she’s under the spell of a strange cabaret troupe, and it’s all she can talk about. They only appear on boat, at night, by invitation only, and one night, without warning, Cecelia vanishes for good.

Rose isn’t sure what to do. Should she let Cecelia go? But the longer she hears no response from her sister, the more worried she becomes, and vows to track down this strange cabaret group herself, which proves more difficult than she imagined.

Why You Should Read It

This was an absolutely enchanting novel, and I purposely slowed myself while reading it because the writing was so lovely. At times it moved slowly, savoring the setting and world before moving on with action, but the pacing felt purposeful and intentional. I can see how it may not be for everyone, but it absolutely found me at the perfect time in my life to really hit home.

I loved this piece from Sara at Fiction Matters discussing reading book reviews midway through reading and treating it as a dialogue while you finish the book. I’ve always been a review-reader, but only after I’m a good portion into the book, just like Sara. When I read reviews for this one, I kept seeing notes about manic pixie dream girls. I am just as tired of this trope as the next reader,² but as an adult who has been through a lot of personal changes lately and feels lost and like I no longer have a solid hold on “what I want to do with my life,” rather than manic pixie, I saw Cecelia as lost, vulnerable, and searching, just like so many people. Her actions always had intent behind them, never because of another person’s feelings or opinions (sometimes in spite of them), and while selfish, they were not out of character or random. Cecelia sought what everyone is seeking: happiness and love and inclusion.

That to me was the crux of the book: so many people (including Rose, the sister who seemingly has it all together), young, old, never know what they’re looking for, and this was a community of those people who strived to find it for just a small part of their lives. Yes, it’s unlikely this would ever happen irl, but isn’t that the point of fiction?

If you, too, are feeling a bit lost and searching for what the point of *gestures* everything is, I urge you to fall into this world, as I think you’ll find a lot to relate to. It’s also an ethereal and surreal summer book, one you’ll read through the foggy, humid, dark nights of summer, and wonder if you fully understood what just happened — but that may be the point.

Can’t get enough, or looking for a different recommendation? Browse the archives, or check out some popular past recommendations: 

Read about a haunting island that starts to turn against its visitors

Read a mystical novel about what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a woman

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1. Content warnings include absent parent (in past, recounted); discussion of divorce; houselessness; death by drowning; homophobia (off page, young teen kicked out by parents, told as a recounted memory).

2. I also believe that manic pixie dream girls *usually* are only written by adult men for young adults (typically girls), but that’s a whole different essay. One for another day, perhaps.