Flight of a Starling by Lisa Heathfield is a YA novel about two sisters who perform as trapeze artists in their family’s circus. I’ve always been a fan of the circus. And setting usually plays a large factor in determining which books I choose to read. So, that influenced my decision to request it from LitPick.
The copy I read was a hardback edition surrounded by dark purple paper and a simple cover image of the silhouette of a trapeze artists suspended in midair. It’s a really eye-catching design. The design alone gave the book a very surreal, magical quality, matching the mindset of these characters who see life through the prism of a fairy tale. But there’s more to this book than a pretty design.
Essentially, Flight of a Starling is a forbidden love story that will entice the average YA reader. It’s a difficult feat to pull off these days when people of various races, cultures, and social classes frequently connect. This story shows, though, that circus life operates a very isolated culture where outsiders are invited to observe their unorthodox lifestyle for a price but are forbidden from joining the circus family in most cases. This makes for a very fresh take on a traditional story in which desperate times call for desperate measures.
Reading YA as an Adult
I was surprised by how slowly I read this book. YA novels are usually a quick and breezy read, but I found myself slowing down to take in the flowery language and dream-like observations of the emotions at play here. This book takes itself seriously, as all books should in terms of what type of message they are trying to send out in the world. This makes it worthy of its heavy conclusion and effective melodramatic plot.
As I imagine with real circus life, this book took some unexpected turns. I didn’t become fully invested until the last 50 pages or so. By then, I was hooked, and the story was over, full of unanswered questions that really don’t require an answer to complete the story but would make me want to pick up a sequel, should Heathfield ever decide to write one.
You can read a more straightforward summary and review of the book here.
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